10/6/2011

Post date: Oct 07, 2011 5:13:29 PM

• • Bell ringer (verbal): What large groups of organisms do you know of (example: reptiles)?

  • Summary - evolution by natural selection

    • Organisms have more offspring than can survive (disease, predators, lack of food, etc.)

    • Offspring are genetically similar to parents, but with tiny changes (mutations of DNA) - most of which are invisible

    • The least fit offspring have a better chance of starving, getting eaten, or being unable to find a mate, and so their DNA does not make it to the next generation

    • Process repeats endlessly, eventually resulting in favorable traits becoming more common in a population and unfavorable traits becoming less common.

  • Notes - the 6 kingdoms in classification of living things (chapter 4, section 3)