In general, environmental changes can drive evolution by natural selection in a few ways:
1. Selection for certain traits: Environmental changes can create new selection pressures that favor individuals with specific traits that help them survive and reproduce in the new conditions. This can lead to changes in gene frequencies in a population over time, as individuals with beneficial traits are more likely to pass those traits on to their offspring.
2. Adaptation to new conditions: Over time, individuals with traits that are well-suited to the new environment will have a higher chance of surviving and reproducing, leading to the spread of those beneficial traits in the population. This can ultimately result in the emergence of new species that are better adapted to the changed environment.
3. Extinction and replacement: In some cases, environmental changes may lead to the extinction of species that are not able to adapt to the new conditions. This can create opportunities for new species to evolve and fill vacant ecological niches, leading to increased biodiversity.
Overall, environmental changes play a crucial role in driving evolution by natural selection, as they create the conditions under which certain traits are favored and ultimately lead to the emergence of new species over time.
How do environmental changes affect evolution by natural selection?
Those that are well adapted are selected for, and a new species emerges over time.
Animals with adaptations to the new environment survive and pass on their genes, creating new generations with different traits.
Environmental changes force those who are not well adapted to seek out more suitable habitats, creating a shift in biodiversity.
Environmental changes cause extinction, which causes new species to emerge.
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Animals with adaptations to the new environment survive and pass on their genes, creating new generations with different traits.