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TASBiologyQuick questions
Unit 4: Change Over Time
Quick questions on Natural Selection and Adaptation - TCE Biology (Tasmania)
4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the mechanism of natural selection?Show answer
Natural selection, first explained by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, depends on a small number of conditions all being met:
What are selection pressures?Show answer
A selection pressure is any environmental factor that affects an organism's chance of survival and reproduction, and therefore drives natural selection. Examples include predation, competition for food or mates, climate, availability of water, and disease. When a selection pressure changes, the alleles that are favoured can change too, which is why populations can shift over time.
What is types of adaptation?Show answer
Adaptations are usually grouped into three categories:
What is selection pressure changing over time?Show answer
If the environment is stable, selection tends to keep a population well adapted. If conditions change (a new predator arrives, the climate warms, a food source disappears), the traits that confer fitness change, and the population evolves in response, provided suitable variation already exists. Populations with more genetic variation are better able to adapt to change, which is one reason genetic diversity matters for survival.
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