StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

How Natural Selection Drives Evolution - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The author of the "How Natural Selection Drives Evolution" paper explains energy flow in an ecosystem, how different species can arise in a population, how can the ecosystem affect the growth of a population, and how can living organisms affect their environment…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.9% of users find it useful
How Natural Selection Drives Evolution
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "How Natural Selection Drives Evolution"

Download file to see previous pages

A fine example of natural selection is provided by the finches that were observed by Darwin during his expedition to the Galapagos islands. He found 13 species of finches and each species exhibited variation in beak size and shape. While explaining the concept of natural selection in these finches Darwin rightly observed that all the variations already existed among the finches and that each type of variation was selected based on their adaptability to a particular type of environment.

Birds with beaks suited to eat cacti survived better in arid climates and reproduced to produce offspring with similar beaks. Birds with different beak sizes and shapes that were suited to eat nectar and hard seeds were naturally adapted to that particular environment and reproduced. Thus the process of natural selection chose organisms that were better suited to survive in a particular environment due to the inherent anatomical variations and allowed them to reproduce and contribute to the process of evolution (O’Neil). 2. Explain energy flow in an ecosystem.

Include examples An ecosystem comprises the living and non-living components within a given environment such as a pond, grassland, or forest. The flow of energy is an integral part of the ecosystem which is necessary to facilitate the normal functioning of the ecosystem. The energy that enters the ecosystem transforms at different stages based on the processes involved in the system. Energy enters an ecosystem from the sun as light energy which is trapped by plants which are referred to as the primary producers.

The energy then flows through the various trophic levels as primary producers are consumed by herbivores which are in turn consumed by carnivores and in each level it is transformed into chemical energy through various cellular processes such as photosynthesis and respiration. Waste products are produced at each level and organisms such as scavengers, detritivores, and decomposers feed on these waste products microbes are the ultimate decomposers. The energy is liberated as heat energy during every process which is lost to the ecosystem and this energy cannot be recycled.

The flow of energy through the food chain decreases at every stage beginning with the primary producers. The herbivores will have less energy available compared to the primary producers and so on. This gives rise to the energy pyramid (The concept of the Ecosystem). 3. How can different species arise in a population Speciation or the process by which new species arise from a single species is a natural phenomenon that occurs during the process of evolution. New species arise from an already existing species when a population of the species undergoes geographical isolation.

As a result of this separation, changes occur in allele frequency due to reduced gene flow between the two populations. Speciation of the formation of a new species will occur if these changes result in physical or behavioral changes that prevent the interbreeding between the parent and the newly formed population. Thus for the formation of a new species both geographical and reproductive isolation should occur which results in changes in gene flow and prevent the interbreeding between two closely related populations. 

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/biology/1475507-biology
(Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 2)
https://studentshare.org/biology/1475507-biology.
“Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 2”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/biology/1475507-biology.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF How Natural Selection Drives Evolution

The Role Played by Evolution

The second facet pertains to the process of natural selection that drives evolution.... the natural selection process is also known as the survival of the fittest.... Thus, the author offers an explanation of the survival of the fittest theory or the natural selection process.... They include microevolution, natural selection, and macroevolution.... Thus, the article explains that evolution is driven by natural selection whereby 'abnormal' organisms are able to endure an environmental change and become the 'new normal....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

How Culture Drove Human Evolution

Name: Course: Date: Human Evolution Heinrich (2011) in an article A Cultural Species: How Culture Drove Human Evolution explains how natural selection influenced human learning and how this resulted into cultural evolution and coevolution the cultural gene.... In such cases, where a species depends on learning from others to a large extent to improve some aspects of its behavior, such process will effectively alter the environment faced by the natural selection that impacts on the human genes....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Analysis of a Documentary on Sexual Selection

This phase of fertilization is secondary as sexual selection comes before the intercourse.... Previously, sexual selection was mostly dealt in abstract terms such as love is just a ‘feeling' but science has tapped into the secrets of what love, attraction and lust really mean and where their origins lie.... The National Geographic documentary of sexual selection conducted an experiment where random men on the streets were asked to identify the woman they find most attractive from the 4 pictures of similar looking female figures....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Biological Processes Involved in Sexual Selection

Moreover, Charles Darwin provided a description of sexual selection by describing as a process of natural selection whereby certain individuals reproduce with specific people owing to the fact that they are better sexual mates as compared to others.... This was an imperative argument that Darwin used to support his theory of evolution and natural selection.... Separate Sexual drives Explicated in the Video The documentary delves into various issues that drive the aspect of sexual selection among humans and other animals....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

Francisco J. Ayalas argument in Intelligent Design: The Original Version

He claimed that Darwin's theory of natural selection is quite different from the version that Paley considers, primarily in showing how the process operates in a creative fashion ... yala's argument is that that teleology in nature is the expected outcome of the processes of evolution which include natural selection.... In other words, even if we can infer design, we cannot exclude "natural selection" as its designer. ... Ayala methodically addressed the flaws in the scientific and philosophical arguments presented by one ID proponent and scientific theories of evolution....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Current Knowledge about Major Histocompatibility Complex

MHC exercises a pathogen driven selection which is mediated through frequency-dependent selection or heterozygote advantage.... ome of the issues that will be discussed here would relate to the nature of MHC, the underlying structural and functional attributes, the early history of MHC, the class I, II, and III and variations or differentiation within manifestation of MHC so that evolutionary processes and mechanisms of parasitic reactions, adaptation and selection could be explained....
15 Pages (3750 words) Essay

Criminology: Gender Crime and Justice

The author of the paper states that it is quite difficult to understand why violent crime is so common and prevalent among males.... So this paper attempts to critically examine and evaluate the concept of violent male behavior in the context of Criminology.... .... ... ... Perhaps one of the biggest areas in which masculine hegemony is found is in the area of gangs and violent circumstances....
13 Pages (3250 words) Research Paper

The Different Aspects of Sociology

The paper "The Different Aspects of Sociology" tells that the understanding of the different concepts culminating in the definition of sociology can help in the development of an informed understanding of self and can drive towards lifting the barriers towards making greater achievements.... ... ...
16 Pages (4000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us