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Natural Selection

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- Living things have variations in their traits that are determined by their genes.
- Some traits can give them an advantage in surviving and finding mates.
- The process of natural selection causes living things to change over generations.
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Discussion Questions
- Before VideoWhat are some examples of traits?ANSWER
Traits are characteristics that things have such as hair color, eye color, and foot length.
Living things get their traits from their parents, but traits can also come from other places. For example, a person can be born with brown hair but can artificially change it to purple if they choose.
Natural selection is when an organism lives because of its traits or something it can do better than other organisms of the same kind. For example, slower animals usually get caught.
Humans can affect traits of other things by mixing them together. For example, I have a Pomsky dog, which is a Pomeranian and a Husky mixed together.
If an animal is the same color as its environment, it blends in better and can hide. This can help an animal hide from predators or hide to capture prey.
If an animal with the same trait is always caught, it cannot have babies. So eventually, no more animals in that population would have that trait.
- After VideoWhat is trait variation? Give an example.ANSWER
Trait variation is when organisms in a population have differences in the traits they have. For example, the giraffes have long necks, but not all their necks are the same length.
A change in the environment can affect an animal’s ability to hide from a predator. For example, we saw that when the environment changed, the hawk ate the light-colored pocket mouse instead of the dark one because light one was easier to see.
Natural selection is a process in which some living things survive better in their environment and are able to reproduce and pass on their genes.
Artificial selection is a process in which humans choose what traits they want other organisms to have.
Natural selection can lead to evolution of a population because if an organism doesn’t survive, it cannot reproduce and pass on its traits. If traits are not passed on, then they eventually go away—like what happened to giraffes with short necks.
One way natural selection could affect humans is when bacteria that can make us sick changes. For example, the bacteria we saw in the video has changed to become resistant to the medicine that used to kill it.
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Vocabulary
- Natural selection DEFINE
The process of organisms changing over time. Organisms with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce.
- Variation DEFINE
The different occurrences of the same trait among individuals of the same species (hair color, eye color, height, etc.).
- Trait DEFINE
A characteristic belonging to a population or organism.
- Gene DEFINE
Part of a chromosome that is inherited from the parent(s) and determines some of an organism’s characteristics.
- Artificial selection DEFINE
A process in which humans choose specific traits they want and breed organisms together for those specific traits.
- Bacteria DEFINE
Microscopic, single-celled organism that can be found in diverse environments.
- E. coli DEFINE
A bacteria that is found in the digestive track of humans and other animals that can reproduce quickly (about every 20 minutes). Some strains can cause severe food poisoning.
- Mutation DEFINE
A change in genetic material (DNA).
- Charles Darwin DEFINE
A famous biologist and naturalist who is known for his contributions to the study of evolution through the process of natural selection.
- Biologist DEFINE
A scientist who studies biology (living systems).
- Natural selection DEFINE
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Reading Material
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DIY Activity Guide
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