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Related Concept Videos

Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

1.5K
Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations,...
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Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

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In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
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Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

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Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.
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What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

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Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
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Genetic Drift03:33

Genetic Drift

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Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.
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Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

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Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
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Related Experiment Video

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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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The sources of adaptive variation.

Deborah Charlesworth1, Nicholas H Barton2, Brian Charlesworth3

  • 1Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Charlotte Auerbach Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|June 2, 2017
PubMed
Summary

Natural selection drives adaptive evolution. Recent genetic and molecular studies confirm that neo-Darwinism adequately explains evolutionary mechanisms, refuting the need for radical revisions like directed mutation.

Keywords:
epigenetic inheritanceextended evolutionary synthesismodern synthesismutationnatural selection

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Genetics
  • Developmental biology
  • Molecular biology

Background:

  • The role of natural selection in adaptive evolution has been extensively studied using theoretical and empirical methods.
  • Evolutionary biology integrated genetic discoveries after 1900, leading to the modern synthesis.
  • Environmental changes can also drive evolutionary adaptations in organisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how recent advances in genetics, developmental biology, and molecular biology, including epigenetics, inform the understanding of adaptation evolution.
  • To illustrate that observed evolutionary processes are consistent with neo-Darwinian principles.
  • To evaluate the necessity of revising the fundamental mechanisms of adaptive evolution.

Main Methods:

  • Review of theoretical and empirical approaches in evolutionary biology.
  • Analysis of recent advances in genetics, developmental biology, and molecular biology.
  • Examination of case studies across diverse organisms to interpret genetic findings.

Main Results:

  • Genetic studies consistently demonstrate that evolutionary adaptations align with neo-Darwinian mechanisms.
  • Apparently puzzling evolutionary results are explained by known processes within the neo-Darwinian framework.
  • Evidence does not support significant roles for directed mutation or inheritance of acquired characters in adaptation.

Conclusions:

  • Current understanding of adaptive evolution, based on neo-Darwinism, remains robust.
  • Recent molecular and genetic discoveries reinforce, rather than challenge, the modern synthesis.
  • No radical revision of evolutionary mechanisms is required based on current evidence.