Page 1 – Introduction & History of Evolution
● Key Scientists:
○ Charles Darwin: Theory of natural selection
○ Alfred Russel Wallace: Co-developer of natural selection
○ Lamarck: Early ideas on inheritance of acquired traits
● Evolution Definition: Change in the heritable traits of populations over generations
Page 2 – Natural Selection Principles
● Definition: Process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to
survive and reproduce
● Key Principles:
1. Variation exists within populations
2. More offspring are produced than survive
3. Competition exists for limited resources
4. Beneficial traits are selected over time
5. Populations evolve over generations
Page 3 – Mechanisms of Evolution
Mechanism Description Example
Mutation Random changes in DNA Sickle cell allele
Gene Flow Movement of genes between Migration of birds
populations