Natural selection in biodiversity

What does natural selection depend on?

Variation, differential reproduction and heredity

What does natural selection do?

It is an agent of evolutionary change in which a population of organisms becomes better adapted to its habitat by genetic inheritance or having advantageous traits, to result in the enhanced survival of individuals with superior fitness or reproductive success

What types of adaptations can organisms show?

Anatomical, physiological, and behavioural

What are behavioural adaptations?

Actions by the organism which helps them to survive or reproduce.

Give an example of behavioural adaptations

Agoutis bury brazil nuts as a later food source, plants turn their leaves towards the sun, there are explosive seeds or spore dispersal in plants and fungi

What are physiological adaptations?

Internal physiological/physical workings within the organism to help them to survive or reproduce

Examples of physiological adaptations

Some grass is adapted to deal with high salt concentrations, thermophilus bacteria deal with extremely high temperatures, fish, birds and whales are able to drink seawater while humans can’t

What are anatomical adaptations?

Structures which can be seen when the organism is dissected to help it to survive and reproduce

Examples of anatomical advantages

Bumble bees have baskets for collecting pollen, the kangaroo has an elongated loop of Henle for reabsorption of water for the desert environment