SELECTION

Darwin
VARIATION: Populations contain individuals which vary slightly. Some variations
better adapt the organism to the environment
Over-production: Most organisms produce more offspring than will survive into
adulthood
Struggle: Competition for survival between organisms
Survival of the fittest: Only organisms best adapted will survive
Advantageous characteristics passed on: Those that survive can
pass on their genes and therefore, their characteristics to the next
generation
Gradual change: The population will lose all the poorly adapted,
becoming better adapted to the environment
Process of adaptation
Process resulting from natural selection, where
populations become more suited to their environment
over many generations

Natural selection results in the genes producing

advantageous phenotypes, being passed onto the next
generation more frequently than the genes producing
less advantageous phenotypes.
FOR EXAMPLE
Moth
Antibiotic Resistance
Penicillin works by stopping bacteria forming walls
Because there are several million bacteria in every
person, the chance of a mutation causing resistance to
penicillin is possible
It will continue to reproduce while the others don't. Its
descendants will likely all be resistant to the penicillin

The more we use antibiotics, the more resistant they

become. Therefore we must continuously find new
antibiotics
Stabilising selection
Organisms best adapted will survive. Therefore, natural
selection doesn't always bring about change.

Crocodiles
Sickle-cell anaemia
Condition caused by the allele that codes for
haemoglobin, the person has two copies of the gene
and causes serious health problems.
Sickle-cell anaemia
The allele is codominant: meaning a person can have
HbA, HbS or both.
The sickle shape causes blockages in the vessels
Don't carry as much oxygen around the body.
HbAHbA has normal haemoglobin
HbAHbS has a mixture of both
HbSHbS has only sickle-cell haeoglobin
Sickle-cell anaemia

Sickle-cell anaemia is still very prominent in the world. It hasn't

been removed by natural selection.
Why? MALARIA
Spread by Mosquitoes. Millions die from this disease each year.

Any sort of resistance to this disease would be advantageous.

Homozygous HbSHbS, often die from the condition.
BUT
Heterozygous HbAHbS, have a resistance and therefore, survive
to pass on the genes
Selective Breeding
Humans have been making artificial changes for
thousands of years.
Selecting certain characteristics to pass on to the next
generation. Farming. ARTIFICIAL SELECTION.
Dogs for example. "cute" mini dogs, would unlikely
survive in nature, but humans consider these traits
desirable and have allowed them to persist.
Questions