PHYS 1010 Lecture 3: Evolution Notes
22 Feb 2019
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Document Summary
The changes in the gene pool of a species over time. These changes are the results of mutations, natural selection and genetic drift. All the life changes that have transferred life on earth from its earliest beginnings to the diversity that characterizes it today. The process by which an ancestral species could diversify into many descendant species by the accumulation of adaptations to various environments. Darwin"s phrase for evolution was "descent with modification". Often populations produce more offspring than the environment can support; in other words, they often exceed the carrying capacity. Over-production of offspring leads to intraspecific competition and survival of the individuals best suited to that particular environment. Remember that sexual reproduction promotes variation in a species. Creating gametes by meiosis provides variation through random assortment. The fusing of two different gametes leads to even further variation in the new offspring. The selection process is dictated by the environment and leads to differential survival.
