What is natural selection and how does it happen?

Natural selection is a process when individuals in a species are best adapted to there environment and survive to pass on there traits to there offspring. Natural selection happens through random mutations in genes, sometimes the DNA is not copied right and makes a mistake and causes changes in the genes.This helps the animals adapt to there surroundings and they produce offspring that will pass down there traits generation after generation. An example would be the rat snakes they come in a variety of colors. They can be yellow striped, black, orange, or greenish and other colors. This is because the rat snake is found all over the Eastern and Midwestern states, and are subjected to all types of weather and terrain. They are mostly found in urban areas but they have been seen in wooded areas and mountains or coastal regions, the rat snake have adapted to there environment so they can avoid detection and hunt better.

How does survival of the fittest relate to natural selection?

Survival of the fittest is a natural process in evolution of a species that are best adapted to there environment  Survival of the fittest relates to natural selection because the best adapted individuals of a species are most likely to produce the most offspring. They are fit enough in there environment to produce offspring to pass on  genes and to keep producing those genes generation after generation.

Why does mutation & natural selection happen?

Mutation occurs because errors happen by DNA polymerase during replication, these mutations are inherited by the offspring. Natural selection occurs because some individuals in a population are not identical so the ones that are better then the other have more offspring because they are best adapted to there environment. An example would be of the peppered moth, When the Industrial Revolution got big in Britain there was a lot of pollution and the smoke killed lichens growing on the trees and blackened their bark. The white moths would use the once white trees for camouflage, the birds began to eat more of the lighter colored moths because they were easily spotted than the darker ones. After a few moths dark moths started coming in the area and the lighter moths became scarce. After the Industrial Revolution was over the lighter moths came back. This is mutation and natural selection because the peppered moth adapted to there environment to survive.

Cite List

faculty.clintancc.sny.edu

www.alislan.org

www.bartleby.com

www.biology-online.org

www.zoutexas.edu

university of utah