Variation
What are the 3 main mechanisms that give organisms in a species their variation
Mutation, Meiosis, Sexual Reproduction
What is adaptation?
Adaptations are characteristics that make an organism suited to its environment and way of life
Why do plants and animals produce more offspring than the environment can support?
To maximize the chances of some offspring surviving, even if the survival rate is less than 1%
Eg: Mushrooms
Why is sexual reproduction the most successful source of variation in a population
There is a certain amount of chance involved when a sperm fertilizes an egg
An organism that has characteristics that are well adapted for its environment is said to be fit.
Mutation and Plasmid Transfer
Crossing over during pro phase I and random orientation of the chromosomes during meta phase I
Explain how Natural Selection leads to the evolution of a species. Give an example
Natural selection tends to eliminate from a population individuals that show low fitness, only the fittest organism survives and reproduces. Hence only these genes are passed on to future generations. eg: giraffe, bacteria etc
Explain what plasmid transfer is.
Plasmid transfer involves one bacterium donating genetic information to another in a ring of nucleotides called a plasmid. Both the donating and receiving cells open their cell walls so that the genetic material can pass from the donor to the receiver.