Variation and selection

Variation
Variation is all the differences which
exist between members of the same
species.
There are two kinds of genetic
variations:
Continuous and discontinuous
Continuous variation Discontinuous variation

Shows a complete range of the There are obvious, distinct

characteristic between two categories for a feature.
extremes of a characteristic - no intermediates between
categories

Examples Examples
Height in humans- intelligence Tongue rolling- blood group
finger prints

Affected by : Affected by:

Many pairs of alleles, Few pairs of alleles only
environment
 Mutation
It is sudden change in genetic code
(DNA) of an individual.

Factors that can lead to mutation

(mutagens)
Chemicals: Example: tobacco and food
preservatives
Radiations: Example: x-ray, gamma rays
and cosmic radiations
 Mutagens
They may change the genetic code
directly
Cause it to be miscopied during cell
division
Damage the control mechanism that
instruct the cell to stop dividing at the
right time, the continuing division will
cause a lump of unspecialized cells
called cancer.
 Downs syndrome
A chromosome mutation
The ovum carries extra chromosome (24
chromosomes), due to unequal division
during the formation of ovum
After fertilization, number of chromosomes
are 47 in somatic cells instead of 46

Older mothers have a higher chance of

producing babies with downs syndrome
 An individual with Downs
syndrome:

Physically retarded (example with

heart defects)
Mentally retarded
The reproductive organs are not well
developed, so this disease cant be
inherited
 Adaptive features
Features of an organism that helps it to
survive well and reproduce in an
environment
Different environments offer different
challenges for survival and reproduction
Effect of temperature: too high or too low
temperature
Effect of water (not able to get enough water)
Lack of light
 Selection
Selecting the best varieties and
allowing them to grow and reproduce
 Artificial selection (selective
breeding)
A method used by humans to produce
varieties of animals and plants which
have an increased economic
importance.
People use selective breeding to
produce new varieties of a particular
species, so that certain desirable traits
are represented in successive
generations.(not form a new species)
 Uses of artificial selection:
Increase crop yield
Increase rate of reproduction of plants
Develop plants that can resist pests
 How to make artificial selection
in plants:
By cross breeding of strains with desirable
characteristics: (Breeding a plant with good colour
with another with a good scent)
Collect the pollen grain of one strain and dust it on
stigma of the other strain
The stamen of the second strain should be removed
before maturation (to avoid self-pollination)
Cover the stigma with plastic bag to avoid cross
pollination with other strains
Use the produced seed to plant new plants
Then choose the plants with good characteristic and
allow self- pollination several times
 Natural selection
Process by which plants and animals
that can adapt to changes in their
environment are able to survive and
reproduce while those that cannot
adapt do not survive. So individuals
with most adaptive features are most
likely to survive and reproduce.
 Examples of natural selection
Sun flowers
Some flowers are taller than others, taller
flowers grow their leaves higher capturing more
sunlight for photosynthesis and shading shorter
flowers.
Embryos will inherit tallness alleles from their
parents, then over more generations the height
of plants in this area will increase.
It is an example of natural selection as a factor
in the environment (light intensity) that caused
the change in the population
 More examples of natural
selection
In shortage of water, desert plants
with long roots have higher chances of
survival than the plants short roots.
Dark moths that live in polluted areas
have higher chances of survival than
light coloured as the dark ones can
hide from enemies by camouflage as
the surroundings are dark.
Dark and light moths