Evolution Depends on Both Inheritance and Selection

Evolution depends on both inheritance and selection (Arnold, 1994). Heritable traits having some advantage to an organism must be passed on from one generation to the next. As a result, the organisms that have inherited these traits will be better suited for survival in a specific environment. In other words, the ability for an individual to survive is not enough to fuel evolutionary progression- there must be reproduction taking place as well (Figure 1). Animal species that reproduce sexually have developed mating systems that allow them to produce the most successful offspring possible. To produce successful offspring, individuals choose a mate based on the characteristics that will be passed on to their young. Mating systems have developed by organisms learning to recognize which potential mates possess traits that would be beneficial to future generations. Individuals chose their mates based on many factors, two of the most important ones being the physical characteristics and territorial acquisitions of the potential mates (Vehrencamp and Bradbury 1984). Both of these factors that influence mate choice are examples of sexual selection existing in nature. The theory of sexual selection revolves around the assumption that some members of a species are born with a genetic makeup that allows them to have a mating advantage over other members of that species. This mating advantage comes from the individual possessing traits that are m ore desirable by the opposite sex, as farShow MoreRelatedCharles Darwin s Theory Of Inheritance Of Acquired Characteristics1197 Words   |  5 Pages Evolution has been a very debatable topic since the theory of evolution first evolved. 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The evolutionary perspective holds that natural selection impacts people’s behaviors and thinking, and weRead More2B study guide Essay7886 Words   |  32 Pagesevenness: degree to which species are equally abundant, measure of species diversity that reflects the distribution of the species’ abundances in a community -Species richness: # of species overall in a region -Species diversity: combination of both evenness and richness- number of different species that are represented in a collection of individuals 4. What would be the effect on an ecological community’s species diversity of tripling the number of individuals of the most common species? Read MoreDolphin Foraging Techniques Essay examples1358 Words   |  6 PagesBottlenose Dolphins’ respiratory system, and that variation may have lead them to utilize sea sponge as foraging tools. 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StudiesRead MoreIntroduction to Evolution3680 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction To Evolution What is Evolution? Evolution is the process by which all living things have developed from primitive organisms through changes occurring over billions of years, a process that includes all animals and plants. Exactly how evolution occurs is still a matter of debate, but there are many different theories and that it occurs is a scientific fact. Biologists agree that all living things come through a long history of changes shaped by physical and chemical processes thatRead MoreThe Power of Nature and Nurture Essay1562 Words   |  7 Pagesbiologist Ernst Myer explains, â€Å"Thus, since genes never absolutely specify traits, natural selection is unlikely to operate on genes alone† (Moore 162). Natural selection favors phenotypes, not genes. Evolution is pushed by the effectivity, or â€Å"fitness† of a specific trait, which can be coded through countless genes. The argument for nature, or genetic influences, is established by the idea that evolution has selected certain traits for intelligence, personality, and behaviorism that gave human ancestorsRead Moregenetics and heredity1693 Words   |  7 Pagespresent in both sexes but mainly have an effect on one sex (Chest hair, breast size, etc.) Almost all behaviors have both a genetic component and an environmental component. Researchers study monozygotic (â€Å"from one egg†) and fraternal (â€Å"from two eggs†) twins to infer contributions of heredity and environment Researchers also study adopted children and their resemblance to their biological parents to infer hereditary influences Heritability - refers to how much characteristics depend on geneticRead MoreMajor Themes in the Theory of Evolution Essay2101 Words   |  9 PagesMajor Themes in the Theory of Evolution The world around us changes. This simple fact is obvious everywhere we look. Streams wash dirt and stones from higher places to lower places. Untended gardens fill with weeds. Other changes are more gradual but much more dramatic when viewed over long time scales. Powerful telescopes reveal new stars coalescing from galactic dust, just as our sun did more than 4.5 billion years ago. The earth itself formed shortly thereafter, when rock, dust, and gas