Question

In 3 sentences, construct an argument for the claim that natural selection leads to evolution. Provide evidence for this claim, and be sure to explain how an organism shows the four parts of the process of natural selection. You may use any organism with the exception of bacteria and antibiotic resistance.

Answer 1

Natural selection leads to evolution by favoring traits that increase an organism's chances of survival and reproduction in a specific environment. Evidence for this claim can be seen in the peppered moth population in England, where the shift in coloration from light to dark was a response to increased industrial pollution. This evolution occurred through the process of natural selection: variation in moth coloration (genetic diversity), differential survival rates based on camouflage effectiveness (selection pressure), reproduction of surviving moths with advantageous traits (heritability), and the spread of dark-colored moths in the population over generations (evolutionary change).