ENWC314 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Arthropod, Isopoda, Annelid

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Entomology and Wildlife Conservation
• Course: ENWC314
• Professor: York Joanna

Document Summary

Natural selection and adaptation: natural selection drives biodiversity, random genetic variation causes difference in individuals" traits. Different base pairing, etc: best adapted organisms produce more offspring. The fittest animals; offspring production is key: favorable traits are passed on and become more common, eventually, individuals and population change so much that they become new species speciation, environmental variables are pressures that cause species to adapt. Natural selection illustrated: classic example (industrial melanism) Dark moths on light colored bark are easy targets for hungry birds but are hidden on pollution darkened trees example from england. In mid-1800s, selection was for survival of dark moths. Due to the industrial revolution (1760-1840) when there was lots of new pollution and smoke/smog. In mid-1900s, selection was for survival of light moths. This is due to us becoming more environmentally aware of what we were doing. Amphibia, mammalia, and lepidosauria are all terrestrial. Good way to look at relations between organisms; very complicated in microorganisms.