Variation
Variation is all the differences which exist between members of the same species. It
is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
There are two kinds of variation:
continuous and discontinuous.
Continuous variation
- shows a complete range of the characteristic within a population.
- caused both by both genes (often a number of different genes) and
environment:
• Plants: availability of/competition for: nutrients, light, water;
exposure to disease…
• Animals: availability of food/balanced diet;
exposure to disease (or the availability of health serviced for humans).
Discontinuous variation
- seen where there are obvious, distinct categories for a feature.
- no intermediates between categories, the feature cannot usually change
during life.
- caused by a single gen/a small number of genes, with no environmental
influence.
Artificial selection is a method used by humans to produce varieties of animals and
plants which have an increased economic importance. People use selective
breeding to produce new varieties of a species, so that certain desirable traits are
represented in successive generations.
A variety is a type of a particular species that is different in some clear way from
other varieties of that species. The different breeds of domestic dogs and large
ears of maize corn are products of artificial selection.
These common vegetables were cultivated from forms of wild mustard. This is
evolution through artificial selection.
Selective breeding of cows
Suppose you wanted a variety of cow that produced a lot of milk. This is what you
could do:
• choose or select the cows in your herd that produce the most milk
• let only these cows reproduce
• select the offspring that produce the most milk
• let only these offspring reproduce
• keep repeating the process of selection and breeding until you
achieve your goal.
Natural selection is the process by which plants and animals that can adapt to
changes in their environment are able to survive and reproduce while those that
cannot adapt do not survive. It gives the greater chance of passing on of genes by
the best adapted organisms.
Variation and antibiotic-resistance strains of bacteria
Variation is the slight individual differences within populations. All living
things change and evolve from one generation to the next. As they do
so, more variation is produced.
Some variations is inherited (passed on from parents) and some is
acquired (developed during life).
Animals and plants produced by sexual reproduction will show variation
from their parents, for example in the size of the muscles in the legs of
lions.
When new organisms are produced, not all of them are likely to survive because of
competition for resources such as food, water and shelter. The same is true for
plants (they compete for resources such as nutrients, light, water and space).
The individuals with the most favourable characteristics are most likely to survive.
The process of natural selection follows a sequence, as listed below.
• Some of the variations within a population may give some
individuals an advantage over others in the population. Bigger muscles in
the legs of a lion would enable it to run more quickly and get food more
successfully.
• In an environment where there is food shortage, the lion with the
biggest leg muscles is most likely to survive to adulthood.
• The weaker individuals die before having the chance to breed, but
the surviving adults breed and pass on the advantageous genes to their
offspring.
• More of the next generation carry the advantageous genes,
resulting in a stronger population, better adapted to a changing
environment.
Slow changes in the environment results in adaptation in a population to cope with
the change. Failure to adapt could result in the species becoming extinct. This
gradual change in the species through natural selection over time, in response to
changes in the environment, is a possible mechanism for evolution.
Examples: antibiotic-resistance strains of bacteria
Bacteria reproduced rapidly - a new generation can be produced every 20 minutes
by binary fission. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections: an antibiotic is a
chemical that kills bacteria by preventing bacterial cell wall formation.
Mutations occur during reproduction, which produce some variation in the
population of bacteria.
Individual bacteria with the most favourable features are most likely to survive and
reproduce.
A mutation may occur that enables a bacterium to resist being killed by antibiotic
treatment, while the rest of the populating is killed when treated. This bacterium
would survive the treatment and breed, passing on the antibiotic - resistant gene to
its offspring. Future treatment of this population of bacteria using the antibiotic
would be ineffective.
Examples: antibiotic-resistance strains of bacteria
Bacteria reproduced rapidly - a new generation can be produced every 20 minutes
by binary fission. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections: an antibiotic is a
chemical that kills bacteria by preventing bacterial cell wall formation.
Mutations occur during reproduction, which produce some variation in the
population of bacteria.
Individual bacteria with the most favourable features are most likely to survive and
reproduce.
A mutation may occur that enables a bacterium to resist being killed by antibiotic
treatment, while the rest of the populating is killed when treated. This bacterium
would survive the treatment and breed, passing on the antibiotic - resistant gene to
its offspring. Future treatment of this population of bacteria using the antibiotic
would be ineffective.
