Charles Darwin's 1844 essay on natural selection shows that there is variation in inherited traits and differences in reproductive success among individuals with those traits. Darwin proposed that the combination of these two events leads to the spread of characteristics through population.
According to Darwin, how does "descent with modification" contribute to the evolution of a population?
How does selective breeding of domestic animals illustrate Darwin's theory of natural selection on a compressed time scale?
Please help me!
2007-02-12 09:06:34 · 1 answers · asked by chris102188 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Descent with modification says that all forms of life have evolved from common ancestors, by a series of modifications that have allowed one subset or another to fulfil a different niche. The modification makes it so individuals with the modification reproduce better than those without the modification.
In breeding, we don't allow these modifications to happen by chance. Instead we artificially select out individuals with mutations we like and allow them and only them to breed. It greatly increases the chances of a modification becoming common, and eliminates all the effects of chance.
2007-02-13 04:35:15 · answer #1 · answered by floundering penguins 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋