1. Adaptation and Variation
Section 7.1 – pp

2. Adaptation
In order to be biologically successful, an organism must survive its environment and pass on its genetic information.
Changes in the environment limit the ability of organisms to survive. Those who are able to survive and be successful, pass on genes that are useful in living in their environment. Useful genes stay in the population.

3. Adaptation
Those who are unsuited to their environments often do not survive, and therefore, their genes do not remain long in the population.
Diversity within a population explains why populations (species) change over time in a changing environment.

4. Variation and adaptation
Variation is the differences between individuals in a species.
Not all variations become adaptations, but all adaptations are the result of variation.

5. Variation and adaptation
Individuals with helpful variations (make them biologically successful) will pass their DNA on to future generations, and that variation (allele) becomes more frequent in the population.
E.g. peppered moths in England
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6. Adaptation
This is a structure, behaviour or physiological process that helps an organism to be biologically successful
e.g. camouflage (structure)
hibernation (physiological process)
mimicry (structural)

7. How do adaptations develop?
They are the result of gradual, accumulative changes that help an organism survive and reproduce.
They are the result of random, heritable mutations in the DNA that accumulate over generations.

8. Selective Advantage
When a mutation (variation) is favorable to individuals in a changing environment, the mutation provides a selective advantage – it gives an individual an edge over its competitors.
This selective advantage may make an individual more biologically successful.

9. Complete the following questions:
p. 299 Q 1, 3, 5, 6
p. 304 Q 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12