| | |
Summary: DANIEL R. ARDIA
I
INQUIRY&INVESTIGATION
n either good or bad conditions, subtle differ-
ences among individuals make a profound differ-
ence in determining life or death. We often miss this
important diversity that exists within species in the
plant and animal world, in part because of our focus
on variation among species. Depending on environ-
mental conditions, even fine scale differences
among individuals can lead to differences in repro-
ductive success. Without intraspecific variation in
survival or reproduction, there would be no tem-
plate upon which natural selection could act.
However because of sexual reproduction, individu-
als do differ and depending on the heritability of
traits, these differences lead to adaptation to condi-
tions and evolution. Thus for students to under-
stand evolution, they must gain an appreciation for
natural variation and its role in natural selection.
|
