EVOLUTION AND BIODIVERSITY

456 WD

Describe Natural selection takes the raw material of variations with a population and moulds it over a long period of time into a population that can compete most effectively with other species. This selection will favor the fittest individuals in a species to fit a particular biological niche. Any given environment will have a large number of niches, for example small variations in the temperature, humidity and exposure to sunlight will affect the ability of certain plants to grow and compete with other plants. Species that fit these niches will represent a very diverse population and therefore will have extensive genetic diversity. This diversity will be both at the level of an individual species and also