Mechanisms of

Evolutionary
Change
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, I can…

a. Explain the mechanisms that produce change

in populations from generation to generation;
and

b. Show patterns of descent with modification

from common ancestors to produce the
organismal diversity observed today.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 MECHANISMS OF EVOLUTION
 BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
is the number and
the kinds of
organisms living on
Earth at a
particular time.
“It is a change over
time, is the process of
how present-day
organisms have
descended from
ancient ones.”

— EVOLUTION
 01
Mechanisms of
Evolution
Evolution serves as
the mechanism
for the diversity of
life.
NATURAL SELECTION
means that organisms
that are thriving have
characteristics and
adaptations that allow
them to survive in their
habitats –SURVIVAL OF
THE FITTEST Raphus cucullatus
 Descent with
Modification
species descend through
generations with several
changes over time

implies that organisms are

related to one another
 Common
Descent
all
organisms
share
common
ancestry
The phylogenetic tree represents the evolutionary relationships
among sets or groups of organisms, called taxa (singular:
taxon). The tips of the tree represent the groups of descendant
taxa (which are often the species) and the nodes on the tree
represent common ancestors of those descendants. Two
descendants that split from the same node are called sister
groups.
 TYPES OF NATURAL SELECTION

DIRECTIONAL STABILIZING DISRUPTIVE or

SELECTION SELECTION DIVERSIFYING SELECTION
happens when a occurs when occurs when
change in the intermediate extreme
environment phenotypes are phenotypes are
causes a change more likely to more likely to
in the observable survive in the adapt to the
spectrum of environment environment
phenotypes
 DIRECTIONAL SELECTION
Speckled peppered moth Black or melanic peppered moth
 STABILIZING SELECTION

LARGE BABIES AVERAGE BIRTH WEIGHT LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

will have problems will be weak and
passing through the more likely to survive experience health
birth canal problems

RATS WITH MEDIUM RATS WITH LIGHT

RATS WITH BLACK COATS
won’t be able to blend
BROWN COATS COATS
able to blend in better with won’t be able to blend into
into the brown forest the forest floor the brown forest floor
floor
DISRUPTIVE SELECTION
DARKER-COLORED MOTHS LONG GILL RAKERS
● survived predators in the ● good for tiny food
industrial areas by blending in MEDIUM GILL RAKERS
with the polluted surroundings
● struggle in both
MEDIUM-COLORED MOTHS
SHORT GILL RAKERS
● easily seen in both locations
● good for big food
and were therefore very few of
them left after
LIGHTER MOTHS
● can easily seen by predators in
industrial areas and were eaten
and will survive in pollution free
environment
 ARTIFICIAL
SELECTION
humans can select the
variations that are useful to
them

done through a technique

called selective breeding
 NONRANDOM MATING
A a selected probability of matingwith A a
another individual in the population
A AA Aa A AA Aa
a Aa aa A AA Aa

INBREEDING
individuals are more likely to
mate with their close relatives
than with distant relatives
lower the population's ability to
survive and reproduce, a
condition called inbreeding
depression
OUTBREEDING
or assortative mating, happens
when individuals select distant
relatives than close relatives as
their partners
individuals with similar
phenotypes are more likely to
mate
 GENETIC DRIFT
a change to a population's gene by chance

POPULATION BOTTLENECK
occurs when a sudden sharp
decline in the population from
natural disasters results in a
drastic reduction of the total
genetic diversity of the original
population
FOUNDER EFFECT
happens when there is a loss
of genetic variation because
of the migration of a small
subgroup in a population
 MUTATION
change in the structure of a gene caused by alterations in
the DNA sequence of an organism

SUBSTITUTION INSERTION DELETION

occurs when the addition of an occurs when a
genetic codon extra set of base set of base pairs
has one altered pairs to the in the genetic
nitrogenous genetic material material is
base omitted
 FRAMESHIFT
caused by insertions
and deletions and
happens when the
information is no
longer parsed
correctly, resulting in
the production of
useless proteins

Neutral Mutation Beneficial Mutation

affects the phenotype of
affects the organism's
organisms, resulting in an
phenotype but has no impact
increase in their chances of
on its survival or reproduction
survival or reproduction
 RECOMBINATION
a rearrangement of genes

naturally occurs during the

crossing over stage in meiosis,
where there is an exchange of
DNA between homologous
chromosomes
 known as migration and happens when
GENE FLOW there is transfer of genes from the gene pool
of one population to another

EMIGRATION IMMIGRATION
happens when organisms happens when organisms enter
leave their habitat another habitat and live in it
FINISH
Do you have
any
questions?