Preview

Natural Selection Misconception

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
441 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Natural Selection Misconception
There is a common misconception that evolution occurs randomly. This misunderstanding incorrectly assumes that natural selections itself is random. However, even though randomness plays a part in the process of evolution through genetic mutations, it does not necessarily stipulate that species evolve without cause. Genetic variation occurs randomly and is determined by the fitness and success of a species. It is directly related to its inherited traits with the context of its local environment. The mechanism of evolution controls and ensures that the process is non-random. The theory of evolution states that evolution is the process by which a species changes over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits. Change is inevitable, but this misconception ignores the fundamental role of natural selection. Chance occurs in the form of genetic variation, but on the other hand, selection is not by coincidence. In a way, the random genetic pool is the raw material in which selection, which is affected by the environment and a species’ will to survive, chooses which traits will be most successful so the species can reproduce. This misconception is proven wrong through the natural world and can be seen throughout nature. When the environment changes, organisms must …show more content…
People may confuse the multitude of mutations that cause diversity within a population with evolution but in no way, are genes randomly chosen. It occurs with the presence of natural selection where mixes of variate traits are limited by differential reproduction because populations are all finite, leading to heredity, or the passing of traits from parent to offspring, of characteristics and behaviors that allowed for a population to survive. Evolution is not arbitrary, but rather the changes caused by competition of the survival of the fittest which is dependent and limited on other factors: environment, selection, and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In general, you should understand how evolution is operating on the population level. The individual organisms carry the genes that natural selection acts upon, but it is the genes of the population (gene pools) that evolve.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sci 230 Week 1

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Evolution by natural selection: This theory came about as a result of Charles Darwin trying to find an explanation for “why there are so many different living beings on earth?” (Pruitt, N. L., & Underwood, L. S. (2006). His theory contains two parts, the first part states that species change over generations. The second part states that what causes this change is natural selection.…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are many different species in the world which, according to Darwin, all came from one source, e.g. a bacteria or organism. Within each species, natural variation occurs, therefore the individual beings within the specie look different from one another. These differences are caused by genetic makeup (50% from your mum, 50% from your dad). There are some genes like down-syndrome that get switched on when combined with other genes. Some genes can also undergo mutation- a random change (e.g. being born with six fingers, instead of five). Most mutations are harmful, for example Siamese twins joined by the brain, but some like the cheetah’s spots are good, they make it easier for the cat to camouflage better. This mutation increased survival fitness; therefore it got passed on and became a permanent feature. The other cheetah’s without spot started dying out, as they could not camouflage as well as the spotted one, and got caught when stalking their prey. Evolution is the process of natural selection according to Darwin; it enables us to find mutations which help us survive. In addition to natural selection, Darwin also suggested that species evolve through sexual selection. Darwin suggested that animals would evolve through time and end up with physical and behavioural characteristics that allow them to survive efficiently and compete effectively with rivals. For example, the peacock’s tail appears to reduce its chance of survival as it attracts predators and hinders its flight. But the tail is what helps it survive, as it attracts the females, the brighter, colourful and bigger the tail is; the more chance of mating it has. An example of sexual selection in humans is hairlessness. Although the loss of hair may have enabled us to keep cool in the hot weather by sweating, lack of hair meant we had to adapt to…

    • 2152 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biology Lab Report

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the 1850s, two scientists by the name of Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace composed the theory of evolution by natural selection. (1) Darwin characterized several claims needed for natural selection to happen, including heritable variation within the population, and the presence of more individuals than the environment can support. They also discovered that certain environments favored certain traits. These circumstances resulted in the preferred traits being the most adaptable and able to reproduce, therefore passing the traits down to the next generation. To get a closer look at natural selection, we set up simulations to look at the reproductive success of an individual relatives to others, or biological fitness. The hypothesis we concluded for the simulations is that the predators on the light towel bench, which represents one of our three environments, would be more fit than the predator in the other two environments.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Darwin's theory resides on the presence of Natural Selection in the animal kingdom. This means that favorable genetic mutations are "selected" for in nature, thus accounting for complex and highly specific organisms. The selection of favorable genetics is driven through competition for resources and the production of progeny. However, natural selection is a process dependent on random mutations of an organism’s genetic material. It hinges upon the fact that organisms obtaining randomly generated mutations, that provide a selective advantage in their environment, are more likely to form progeny and pass on their…

    • 1584 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gettysburg Address Thesis

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    When a variation is gained through genetic mutation the trait that it gained gives it an edge in competing for survival and attracting mates will be the determining factor of the survival of this new variation. The better adapted race will increase in population and overtake the existing less apt species.…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    US History

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Natural selection is a mechanism for the evolution of a population to become better adapted to their local environment over many generations. As we explore how natural selection works, pay attention some of its main principles: variation, overpopulation, adaptation, and descent with modifications.…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Darwin believed that new species were produced through natural selection and that variation exists regardless of an organisms’ needs.…

    • 1100 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Diversity and Variation

    • 658 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Natural selection acts on variation, resulting in changes in species or the evolution of new species…

    • 658 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Evolution is basically the change in the heritable characteristic or traits in living organisms which are passed from one generation to another and gives rise to diversity at every stage of the organism’s biological organisation. The process of evolution was not well understood until 19th century when Charles Darwin proposed the scientific theory of natural selection as a driving tool in evolution. The process involved both the macroevolution in which organisms went through major evolutionary changes over a long period of time and acquired different traits from different parents or ancestries and the microevolution in which a group of organisms went through minimal changes with time but the traits they acquired were typically from the same ancestor.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Evolution, an interesting topic all students ponder about during biology class but don’t know the true meaning nor the examples to support it. Evolution is the theory discussing the changes in heritable characteristics of a population over generations. Populations such as cows, birds, and giraffes. The giraffe population is quite thought-provoking when it comes to evolution. Which acquires many traits and behaviors today that evolved throughout generations, such as, short sleeping times, long necks, large tongues and long tails.…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Most of us are familiar with natural selection as one of the mechanisms of evolution. Another well-known mechanism is random genetic drift. This is a mechanism that results in fixation (or loss) of alleles by purely random processes. The topic is thoroughly covered in all the major textbooks—it is not controversial. Unless you deny the existence of random genetic drift, you must agree that some of evolution is entirely due to chance events.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The evolution of organisms derives from variation and the process of natural selection. Variation is the diversity within a population. The most common source of genetic variation in organisms is from mutations, which are types made of the genetic material. Sections of DNA may be repeated, deleted, or moved by the process of mutation. Mutations are very common and occur throughout the genome. This establishes a great diversity between organisms of the same species and makes each being unique. Similar to how all humans are accepted to be genetically unique, all species are made of organisms that each is composed of its own, different genetic material. Another source of genetic variation comes from recombination and crossing over. Recombination…

    • 229 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    These conditions include variation among individuals, also variation is inherited by the offspring, and lastly different variants have different probability of survival in the nature. (Karanth, 2009) First of all, variation among individuals is required for natural selection because of the fact that if all individuals are similar, there will not be different traits that are better than others for particular environmental conditions. Secondly, variation needs to be inherited because if changes in trait were resulted from environmental factors, the next offspring will not inherit those changes in trait; therefore, it is crucial that variation is inherited to the offspring from parents. Last but not least, individuals must have different likelihood of survival in order to have natural selection because of the fact that if all individuals had the same likelihood of survival then survival of the fittest would not come into action. Individuals having a distinct survival possibility is crucial as the stronger one will be selected by nature, which proves the theory of ‘survival of the fittest’.…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The theory that members of a species each have slight variations from each other, and that these variations have the ability to enable some members of a species a survival advantage in certain environments. As a result of having a variation that increases their likelihood to survive, they are allowed to propagate, and their offspring have an increased likelihood of survival with the passage of the variation. Other members of the species who lack the variation die, and over time the only surviving members of the species are the ones who possessed the variation that gave them the survival advantage.…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays