Question

1. suppose a variation makes an individual member of a species better adapted to its environment, how might that variation affect the individual’s reproduction?
2. how does the environment “select” organisms?
3. how do helpful variations accumulate in a species over time?
4. why can only traits controlled by genes be acted upon by natural selection?
5. how can isolation of a group result in a new species?

Explanation:

1. Adaptations improve survival chances, allowing more opportunities to reproduce.
2. Environmental pressures (e.g., food scarcity) filter individuals by trait suitability (natural selection).
3. Inherited helpful traits become more common as adapted individuals reproduce more successfully.
4. Non-genetic traits (acquired) cannot be passed down, so selection cannot affect future generations.
5. Isolation leads to independent evolution; groups diverge until they cannot interbreed (new species).

Answer:

1. The better-adapted individual is more likely to survive and reproduce, passing the variation to offspring.
2. The environment favors individuals with traits that enhance survival/reproduction, increasing their fitness.
3. Helpful variations are inherited by offspring; over generations, their frequency rises in the population.
4. Only genetic traits are heritable, so they can be passed to offspring for selection to act on.
5. Isolation prevents gene flow; separate groups accumulate unique adaptations, becoming reproductively isolated.