Concepts of Evolution

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Natural Selection and Evolution help students answer the questions: “How can there be so many similarities among organisms yet so many different plants, animals, and microorganisms? How does biodiversity affect humans?” High school students can investigate patterns to find the relationship between the environment and natural selection. Students demonstrate understanding of the factors causing natural selection and the process of evolution of species over time. They demonstrate understanding of how multiple lines of evidence contribute to the strength of scientific theories of natural selection and evolution. Students can demonstrate an understanding of the processes that change the distribution of traits in a population over time and describe extensive scientific evidence ranging from the fossil record to genetic relationships among species that support the theory of biological evolution. Students can use models, apply statistics, analyze data, and produce scientific communications about evolution. Understanding of the crosscutting concepts of patterns, scale, structure and function, and cause and effect supports the development of a deeper understanding of this topic.