fitness

  • Variation within cells - differences in molecular structure, molecular types (proteins, carbs, lipids, etc.) differences in molecule numbers
  • Variation increases fitness
    • (Individual) Fitness - an organismā€™s ability to survive and reproduce
    • Contributes to species fitness
    • The more individual variation in a population, the better chance species have of demonstrating species fitness generationally under changing environmental conditions
  • ex) chlorophyll types - different types of chlorophyll absorb slightly different wavelengths of light
    • Organisms having a greater variety of chlorophyll molecules gives them flexibility for photosynthesis - allows them to efficiently absorb light at different times of day/year
  • ex) hemoglobin
    • Humans carry 2 types of hemoglobin:
    • fetal hemoglobin (F) that enables transfer of oxygen from mother to developing fetus
    • Adult hemoglobin (A) that binds to oxygen brought in through the lungs and delivers oxygen to body cells