Understanding Evolution and Natural Selection

Evolution

Change in gene frequencies over time.

Heritable traits

Traits passed from parents to offspring.

Natural selection

Survival of the fittest in populations.

Alfred Russel Wallace

Co-proposed evolution by natural selection.

Charles Darwin

Authored 'On the Origin of Species'.

Wallace Line

Divides Asian and Australasian fauna.

Darwin's Finches

Example of speciation in Galápagos Islands.

Adaptations

Changes that enhance survival in environments.

Diversity of organisms

Variety of life forms and their relationships.

Origin of species

How new species arise through evolution.

Cumulative effects

Gradual changes leading to significant evolution.

Insecticide resistance

Survival of insects with resistance genes.

Gene frequency

Proportion of a specific gene in a population.

19th Century Evolution

Period of foundational evolutionary theories.

Biology unification

Evolution as a central concept in biology.

Fitness

Ability to survive and reproduce in an environment.

Evolutionary thought history

Development of ideas about species change.