Evolution: Biodiversity, Natural Selection, and Human Evolution

Biodiversity

Variety of life on Earth.

Conserving biodiversity

Preserving habitats to prevent extinction.

Habitat loss

Destruction of natural environments for organisms.

Adaptations

Traits that enhance survival in environments.

High adaptive value

Adaptations that significantly improve survival chances.

Structural adaptations

Physical features aiding survival.

Behavioural adaptations

Changes in behavior for survival.

Physiological adaptations

Internal features enabling survival in environments.

Venus fly trap

Plant with adaptations for capturing prey.

Natural Selection

Process where organisms with favorable traits survive.

Hereditary

Traits passed from parents to offspring.

Variation

Differences in traits among individuals.

Selection

Humans choose traits for domestic animals.

Time in evolution

Evolution occurs over thousands of generations.

Evolutionary theory

Explains biodiversity through adaptation and change.

Common descent

All living things share a common ancestor.

Selection pressure

Environmental factors influencing survival and reproduction.

Differential survival

Better-adapted individuals produce more offspring.

Species

Group of organisms that interbreed.

Population

Group of the same species.

Gene pool

All genes and alleles in a population.

New species formation

Isolation leads to genetic divergence and speciation.

Genetic divergence

Accumulation of genetic differences in isolated groups.

Origins of humans

Humans evolved from primate ancestors.

Skull changes

Evolution led to larger brain cases.

Bipedalism

Walking on two legs for efficiency.

S curved spine

Adaptation for bipedal walking.

Advantages of bipedalism

Free hands, efficient travel, height for visibility.

Disadvantages of bipedalism

Instability and joint pressure.

Cultural evolution

Non-physical changes in human behavior.

Speech development

Communication advancement in human evolution.

Tool use

Creation and use of tools by ancestors.

Social relationships

Complex interactions among humans.

Insight and reasoning

Advanced cognitive abilities in humans.

Knowledge sharing

Passing information to future generations.