Population Variability

Deriving Genotypic and Allelic Frequencies

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

Evolutionary Genetics

Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection

Speciation

Study Questions

Population and Evolutiionary Genetics Overheads

Population and Evolutiionary Genetics WWW Links

Genetic Topics

Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

  1. More individuals are produced each generation that can survive.
  2. Phenotypic variation exists among individuals and the variation is heritable.
  3. Those individuals with heritable traits better suited to the environment will survive.
  4. When reproductive isolation occurs new species will form.
These are the basic tenets of evolution by natural selection as defined by Darwin. The following is a quote from Darwin.

"Variation is a feature of natural populations and every population produces more progeny than its environment can manage. The consequences of this overproduction is that those individuals with the best genetic fitness for the environment will produce offspring that can more successfully compete in that environment. Thus the subsequent generation will have a higher representation of these offspring and the population will have evolved."

Copyright © 1997. Phillip McClean