Learn and test your biological vocabulary for 5.2 Natural selection using these Natural Selection revision flashcards.
Summary list for topic 5.2 Natural selection
- Natural selection requires;
- variation in adaptations within a species.
- overproduction of offspring.
- best adapted individuals have better survival rates.
- so they reproduce more and pass on successful adaptations to offspring.
- Variation within a species can be caused by Mutation, meiosis and sexual reproduction.
- Adaptations are advantageous characteristics of an individual for it's way of life.
- More offspring are produced by the best adapted individuals while less well adapted individuals die or produce fewer offspring.
- Adaptations / characteristics are passed on to offspring (inheritance).
- Natural selection increases the frequency of the better adaptations and decreases the frequency of other characteristics. This leads to changes in characteristics within the species.
Skills (can you ....)
- Analyse data about the changes in beak lengths of finches on Daphne Major.
- Understand how the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria occurs by natural selection.
Mindmaps
These diagram summaries cover the main sections of topic 5.2 Natural selection.
Study them and draw your own list or concept map, from memory if you can.
Exam style question about evolution by natural selection
Explaining the process of evolution by natural selection is an important skill from this topic.
Answer the question below, on a piece of paper, then check your answer against the model answer below.
....................................................................................... ............................................................................
....................................................................................... ............................................................................
....................................................................................... ............................................................................
....................................................................................... ............................................................................
Click the + icon to see a model answer.
Multiple choice questions
This is a self marking quiz containing questions covering the topic outlined above.
Try the questions to check your understanding.
START QUIZ!
Which of the following factors is NOT required for the process on natural selection?
Variation in adaptations within a species.
Overproduction of offspring and a struggle for survival.
Survival of the best adapted individuals.
New adaptation is developed by individuals.
Natural selection requires;
- variation in adaptations within a species.
- overproduction of offspring
- best adapted individuals have better survival rates
- so they reproduce more and pass on successful adaptations to offspring.
Individuals don't develop new characteristics, they either do or don't reproduce.
Variation within a species can be caused by which of the following?
Variation within a species can be caused by Mutation, meiosis and sexual reproduction.
A study of frog populations measured how visible the frogs were to birds and the predation.
The researcher's found that the better the camouflage the less predation there was.
What effect would this have on the reproductive success of the different frogs?
More offspring are produced by the best adapted individuals while less well adapted individuals die or produce fewer offspring.
Adaptations / characteristics are passed on to offspring (inheritance).
In this example camouflage (low conspicuousness) is an advantageous adaptation.
If an individual has a better adapted phenotypes, what effect does natural selection have on their chance or surviving to reproductive age?
Natural selection increases the frequency of the better adaptations and decreases the frequency of other characteristics. This leads to changes in characteristics within the species
What could be the result of a mutation in the genome of a bacterium as it divides by binary fission?
A mutation could produce big changes to the phenotype or no effect at all.
These changes might be a beneficial adaptation, like antibiotic resistance, or a harmful change to the phenotype.
Which of the following could NOT be considered to be a beneficial adaptation?
Adaptations are advantageous characteristics of an individual
What is the difference between cell division by meiosis and mitosis?
Meiosis is a source of variation because it produces cells with a random selection of chromosomes.
Drag and drop activities
Test your ability to construct biological explanations using the drag and drop questions below.
Natural selection is a driving force in evolution.
Drag and drop the correct word or phrase into the gaps to summarise natural selection.
resources designed chance more natural selection survival of the fittest adapted genes genome inherited characteristics survive to breed evolution generations not competition
When organisms reproduce, they invariably produce offspring than the environment can support. This creates for and a struggle for survival.
The organisms best to compete for resources, mates (“fittest”) organisms survive, this is natural selection by .
The organisms with adaptations best suited to the environment and pass on their to subsequent . Genes that are advantageous will gradually be lost from the population over generations.
This gradually alters the of the population.
The gradual change in the of the population is evolution: the species has evolved by .
Evolution is the gradual change in the genome of the population as genes with survival value prevail.
Just for fun
Everyone needs a bit of fun while they revise. Try this Natural selection terms card matching game
Can you reach the leader board?
How much of Natural selection 5.2 have you understood?
Twitter 
Facebook 
LinkedIn