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Difficulty: MediumDarwin's Theory of Natural Selection

According to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection, evolutionary changes occur in a specific logical sequence. Arrange the following processes in the correct chronological order in which natural selection acts upon a biological population.

  1. 1Production of more offspring than the environment can support, resulting in competition for limited resources.
  2. 2Existence of inherited morphological or physiological variations among individual organisms within the population.
  3. 3Differential survival and reproduction of individuals possessing advantageous traits suited to environmental conditions.
  4. 4Increase in the proportion of favorable adaptive traits within the population over successive generations.

Answer

The correct logical sequence of natural selection is: Overproduction leading to competition, pre-existing inherited variation, differential survival and reproduction of favored individuals, followed by population adaptation across generations.
Natural selection begins when overproduction of offspring causes competition for limited resources. Pre-existing inherited variations determine which individuals survive environmental pressure. Favorable traits allow greater reproductive success, increasing the trait's frequency in future generations.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the initiating condition in Darwin's model.
Overproduction of offspring occurs, leading to environmental resource limitation and competition.
Populations naturally produce excess offspring, creating a struggle for existence.
2
Determine the substrate upon which selection acts.
Inherited variation must already exist within the population.
Without pre-existing phenotypic variation, differential survival cannot select for specific traits.
3
Analyze the interaction between variation and environmental pressure.
Individuals with traits favored by the environment survive and reproduce at higher rates.
Differential reproduction ensures favorable alleles are passed to the next generation.
4
Establish the long-term population outcome.
The frequency of advantageous traits increases in subsequent generations.
Evolution by natural selection is defined as a change in population characteristics over time.

Key Concept

Darwinian Mechanism of Evolutionary Change by Natural Selection
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Topics

Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection

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