Introduction
Evolution is the change in a gene or a trait frequency observed in a population of organisms in subsequent generations. Natural selection is one among the several mechanisms that facilitate evolutionary change. The theory of natural selection explains the historical adaptation of organisms to the transforming environments. The paper seeks to review literature written on the importance of natural selection evolutionary changes.
Question 1
According to Ayala (2008), a transitional fossil is one who provided information about the transformation of a species to a different one. Transitional fossil can also provide information on the transformation from a group of species to a different one. Transition implies some change in the structure of a species. The change has to be conspicuous enough to enable easy distinction between the two species before and after transition pile. A transitional fossil falls in between two transitional piles. For instance, if a species X remained unchanged for about 2,000,000 years, then changed to have smaller body structure with wider feet to become Species Y. If the species Y remains unchanged for the next 2,000,000, then any fossil of the species from the 2,000,000 transitional periods is referred to as a transitional fossil.
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Question 2
Ayala asserts that the team selected the Ellesmere Island located in the northern Canada mainly because the area lacks human development. Similarly, the area obstructs natural formations as well as trees among other life forms, thus indicating the presence of rocks of the required age exposed in the area. The team visited Ellesmere Island to study the rocks in the area because the rocks are estimated to be about 375 million years, and amphibian with dissimilar characteristics to fish had been discovered in rocks aged 365 million years. They went to find out whether they could find the missing transitional fossil between fish and amphibians in the rocks of Ellesmere Island.
Question 3
According to Ayala and his colleagues, it is believed that sexual reproduction drives evolution more effectively compared to asexual reproduction. Sexual reproduction provides an opportunity for the combination of half of the genes of one organism to half of the genes of another organism. As a result, new gene combinations are formed in every generation. Similarly, during the production of sperms and ova, there is shuffling of genetic materials to facilitate recombination that causes new gene combinations. As a result, sexual reproduction avails more genetic diversity for natural selection consequently facilitating evolution gradually over time (Vinicius, 2010). Sexual reproduction causes evolution through a long period of accumulating adoptions. Moreover, the variation of genes of the same species, referred to s genetic diversity, also increases the chances that a species will change in the successive generations.
Question 4
Based on the explanations provided by Vinicius (2010), human beings can gain control over natural phenomenon and adapt it for various uses once they can understand the phenomenon. Domestication of wheat is a perfect illustration of such adaptation. Scientists have been able to hypothesise how humans altered wheat over time by studying the structure and the characteristics of wheat seed in various archaeological sites. People leaving in the Middle East started to grow plants for food approximately 11,000 years ago. Early farmers saved seeds with favourable characteristics and planted them in the subsequent planting seasons. The ‘artificial selection' led to the formation of crops with best characteristics for agriculture. For instance, wild wheat seeds were modified by farmers over time so that the seeds could remain on the plant when ready to ease harvesting. Similar evolutionary change technique was used to transform several other wild animals and plants into the today’s domesticated crops and animals.
Question 5
Bortz (2014) explains that corn-based fuel was developed to solve the problem of limited fossil fuel. Corn-based biofuels presented two challenges. First, corn is a greedy plant that requires a lot of nutrients; consequently needing huge amounts of fertilisers to thrive, yet fertilisers are made from fossil fuel. Second, production of biofuel from corn would use only a small section of the corn plant; the process could only be more efficient by finding ways of using the whole plant. Natural selection was employed to produce corn plant species that could be used wholly for the production of biofuels without using fertilisers and without waste. Natural selection was used to produce corn species best suited for biofuel. Fungi and microbes genes are inserted not corn plants to produces desired species. Replanting the best outcome of the experiment produces the species best suited for the function.
Question 6
According to Bortz (2014), evolution is both a fact and theory. The fact is described as a meaningful data that is confirmed to some extent. On the other hand, a scientific theory is described as a validated explanation of scientific facts. Facts supporting evolution originates from the observed evidence of a continuous process of transformation from imperfect organisms; thus suggesting a common descent, marked by transitional fossils. On the other hand, evolution theories provide a provisional explanation of the observed facts. Evolution evidence has continued to be collected and tested. Various scientists have expressed varied perspectives of theories and facts on evolution.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, evolution broadly implies processes of transformation from a species to another. Specifically, the term refers to the accumulation of heritable changes over a generation of a particular species. Although individual organism doesn't evolve in their lifetime, variation in their inherited genes can become more common in the subsequent generation. Natural selection plays an imperative role in evolution as it facilitates the evolutionary change. If changes which have occurred in the lifetime of an organism are not inherited, then those changes are not part of evolution.
References
Ayala, F. J. (2008). Science, evolution, and creationism.
Bortz, F. (2014). Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution by natural selection .
Vinicius, L. (2010). Modular evolution: How natural selection produces biological complexity . Cambridge University Press.
