How Natural Selection Works
Explain natural selection as the mechanism of evolution: heritable variation + competition for resources + differential survival and reproduction = change in allele frequency over generations
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If your child heard about bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, could they explain how that happened using natural selection — without the bacteria ‘choosing’ to change?
Explain natural selection as the mechanism of evolution: heritable variation + competition for resources + differential survival and reproduction = change in allele frequency over generations
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Check understanding
- Describes the four conditions required for natural selection to operate (variation, heritability, competition, selection)
- Applies the concept to a specific example (e.g. antibiotic resistance in bacteria, peppered moth)
- Explains why individuals with advantageous traits leave more offspring
- Distinguishes natural selection from evolution (selection is the mechanism; evolution is the result over many generations)
“If your child heard about bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics, could they explain how that happened using natural selection — without the bacteria ‘choosing’ to change?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Ecosystems & Habitats
- Age range
- Ages 12–14
Standards