Natural Selection
Introduction
o What are the forces that influenced Evolution?
1- Natural selection.
2- Random genetic drift.
3- Mutation.
4- Population mating structure.
5- Culture.
Definition: Natural selection is the process whereby organisms better adapted to their
environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.
Main Hypothesis
o Why is it hard for many people to understand Natural selection?
Hypothesis 1
understanding the mechanism of natural selection requires an acceptance of the
historical fact of evolution.
Hypothesis 2
most people simply lack formal education in biology and have learned incorrect
versions of evolutionary mechanisms from non-authoritative sources
– kids are incapable of understanding natural selection because they have not yet
developed the formal reasoning abilities necessary to grasp it
Key Parts of The Paper (Body)
o How does Natural selection work?
a. Variation and Inheritance
1- Individuals in a population are not identical, they vary in many characteristics
– Do Mutation produce variation?
– Does Mutation have positive or negative effects?
– How does genetic drift affect populations?
2- Many characteristics are heritable
– How is natural selection related to genetics?
– Which Traits Are the Most Fit?
b. Overproduction, Limited Population Growth
1- Populations have potential to increase exponentially
– What is the survival of the fittest?
2- Populations remain stable after certain size
– What is the role of Adaptation?
Conclusion
o Recap what was said
– What is Natural Selection and why is it important
– How does it influence evolution?
– What factors make NS hard to understand
o How can we make Natural Selection easier to understand?
1- Teach in in schools from young age
2- Relate it to things that happen on a daily basis