Evolution and Biodiversity
Evolution is the cumulative change in heritable characteristics of populations over time, supported by evidence from the fossil record, selective breeding, homologous structures, molecular evidence, and biogeography. Natural selection drives species evolution by promoting advantageous traits, resulting in adaptation and speciation. Classification based on evolutionary relationships aids in understanding biodiversity and the phylogeny of organisms.
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What we have learnt
- Evolution is defined as the cumulative change in heritable traits over time.
- Natural selection is a key mechanism of evolution that favors advantageous traits.
- Classification and phylogeny organize living organisms based on their evolutionary relationships.
Key Concepts
- -- Evolution
- The cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a population over time.
- -- Natural Selection
- The process through which advantageous traits become more common in a population due to greater survival and reproductive success.
- -- Speciation
- The formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
- -- Cladistics
- A method of classifying organisms based on common ancestry and evolutionary relationships.
- -- Binomial Nomenclature
- The system of naming species with a two-part Latin name, consisting of the genus and species.
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