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What is Natural Selection?
What is Natural Selection?
Natural Selection is the process in which individuals with a particular trait tend to leave more offspring in the next generation then do individuals with a different trait. Individuals with the most favorable traits are the individuals that are able to successfully live and reproduce––which passes on the most favorable genes to the next generation. Many associate natural selection and evolution as interchangeable words that mean the same thing. Natural Selection can cause evolutionary change, but may also occur without producing evolutionary change. An easy example is explained by Berkeley's study of evolution, which takes a look at a population of beetles containing some brown beetles and some green beetles. Because the population can’t continuously grow to an infinite number, a bird predator eats green beetles. The brown beetles are able to survive because of their genetic makeup. The brown beetles have offspring that have the more advantageous traits that will allow them to hopefully survive and reproduce passing on their most advantageous traits to the following generation ("Natural Selection").
The process of natural selection allows offspring to have the most variant traits. Some traits that natural selection can lead to are greater lifespans, greater attractiveness to members of the opposite sex, and greater number of offspring per reproduction. Natural Selection works in a way that promotes the fittest organisms in a species to reproduce and pass on those “fit” genes to the next generation. With the genes that allow them to survive this next generation will be able to reproduce making it more and more common in the gene pool as generations go on. Natural Selection can happen through nature acting on the organisms or through things such as human activity. An example of human activity causing natural selection occurred within the Peppered Moth population. During the 19th century, England was emitting a large amount of industrial pollution. A species now known as the Peppered Moth was exposed to the pollution causing their coat to have a black hint. Having the black coat helped the species to reproduce and survive in the dark forest hiding them from prey rather than their original white coat. Over time, the dark colored months were better able to survive and reproduce passing on the dark colored genes to their offspring. Their offspring and future generations continued to have the dark color better adapting them for survival and reproduction (Peppered Moth: Natural Selection).
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