NATURAL SELECTION

IN MOST SPECIES, MANY MORE OFFSPRINGS ARE PRODUCED THAN CAN POSSIBLY SURVIVE. THIS OVER PRODUCTION CAUSES COMPETITION BETWEEN THE OFFSPRINGS CREATING A STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE. THE SUPERIOR GENOTYPES WILL MAKE A RELATIVELY LARGER CONTRIBUTION  TO THE GENE POOL OF THE NEXT GENERATION. THE RESULT OF DIFFERENTAL SURVIVAL AND DIFFERENTIAL  REPRODUCTION IS POPULARLY KNOWN AS  SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. NATURAL SELECTION  FAVOURS THOSE VARIATIONS THAT ARE ADAPTIVE, AND THEREBY FOSTERS THE CONTINUED EXISTENCE AND IMPROVED REPRODUCTION OF THE SPECIES.

EVOLUTION OCCURS BY THE PROCESS OF NATURAL SELECTION. IN THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL, SOME LIVING THINGS ADAPT BETTER TO THE CONDITIONS. THESE INDIVIDUALS  ARE MORE LIKELY TO SURVIVE AND PRODUCE OFFSPRING. IF THE OFFSPRINS INHERIT THE SAME FEATURES, THEY TOO HAVE A GREATER CHANCE OF SURVIVAL. IT IS AS IF NATURE  CHOOSES  WHO WILL SURVIVE WHO WILL NOT.

EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION EXPLAINS THE BODILY FEATURES AND BEHAVIOURS OF LIVING ORGANISMS. THE LONG, COLOURFUL FEATHERS OF A MALE BIRD OF PARADISE MAY SEEM A DRAWBACK . THEY MAKE HIM MORE OBVIOUS  TO PREDATORS AND LESS ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM THEM. BUT THEY ALSO ATTRACT FEMALES FOR BREEDING, AND SO THIS FEATURE IS PASSED ON TO HIS OFFSPRING.

BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS AND CHARACTERISTICS FROM GENERATION PARTLY THROUGH GENETIC MECHANISMS AND PARTLY BY IMPRINTING,CONDITIONING, OR TRAINING THE YOUNG TO BEHAVE IN PARTICULAR WAYS.