Rhinos have begun to have smaller and less magnificent horns as trophy hunters begin to hunt more and more of their population. This phenomenon is a clear example or sample of the theory of natural selection in action.
Natural selection is a scientific theory of adaptation and change that tries to explain why species adapt and change over time in a given environment or setting. Charles Darwin, a famous scientist, postulated that natural selection is the reason why organisms evolve the way they do.
Scientists and researchers have posited that organisms must be able to fit into four factors before they can utilize natural selection for their survival. Reproduction is the first factor of natural selection that focuses on the organism’s ability to reproduce offspring and pass down desirable traits. Heredity is the second factor that refers to the offspring’s ability to exhibit and accept desirable traits and characteristics from their parents. The fitness of the organism is the third factor that describes the fertility of both parents and the ability of the mother to reproduce numerous offspring. The last factor of natural selection is the individuality of the organism, which relates to the biodiversity of the species in a given setting.
Begin by creating an outline or a table with all four factors of natural selection as the x-axis of the table or outline. The four factors of natural selection are reproduction, heredity, the fitness of the organism, and the individuality of the organism.
You will then need to research the overall species of the organism. This will help you determine the reproduction and fitness of the organism. Not only that, but it will also provide you with the internal factors of survival for the organism, which could affect the lifespan of the organism.
After you have researched the characteristics of the organism’s species, you will not need to note down the habitat or ecosystem of the organism. The habitat or ecosystem will help you obtain data that will provide the external factors that affect the organism’s survival.
When you have finished obtaining all the data of the organism, you will now insert it into the table or outline. The completed table or outline will make you determine whether or not the organism has space to undergo natural selection in its lifetime.
Evolution is the process of change and adaptation where traits, mutations, and genetics are passed down from generation to generation to determine the species’ survival. The phenomenon occurs when an organism adapts to desirable characteristics for survival and passes it on through genetics, which will take some time to observe. Natural selection is the process of change and adaptation that creates new traits or characteristics to survive the current environment and proceed to the next generation. All of this means that evolution is more of a long-term process when compared to natural selection. Not only do the durations differ, but natural selection can create observable changes in the short term compared to the changes incurred by evolution.
Natural selection is still a scientific theory that uses the scientific method to investigate what causes species to change over time. Because natural selection is still a theory, the phenomenon is still not a scientific fact and does not explain how species adapt and change over time. But this does not mean that natural selection is invalid and not an explanation of this phenomenon; instead, this theory just lacks more evidence to prove its existence or inexistence.
Yes, humans can and have affected a species’ adaptation and characteristics. Human intervention and interaction result in the early signs of natural selection and coevolution. An example of this phenomenon is the rampant decrease in the size of hunted animals and fishes. Humans tend to hunt and consume animals that have a bigger size or a more grand appearance, which has caused some animals and fishes to decrease in size and create a less appealing appearance. The phenomenon occurs because the smaller or less appealing animals have more chances of passing their genes to the next generation, thus affecting the future population of the animal species.
Natural selection is the process of adaptation that Charles Darwin proposed and theorized. This process explains what factors are necessary to conduce or induce an observable change in the traits or characteristics of a species.