A Look At The Good And Bad About Free Evolution

· 6 min read
A Look At The Good And Bad About Free Evolution

What is Free Evolution?

Free evolution is the concept that the natural processes of organisms can lead to their development over time. This includes the appearance and development of new species.

This has been demonstrated by numerous examples of stickleback fish species that can thrive in saltwater or fresh water and walking stick insect species that prefer particular host plants. These are mostly reversible traits however, are not able to explain fundamental changes in basic body plans.

Evolution through Natural Selection


The evolution of the myriad living organisms on Earth is an enigma that has intrigued scientists for centuries. The most well-known explanation is Charles Darwin's natural selection, which is triggered when more well-adapted individuals live longer and reproduce more successfully than those that are less well-adapted. As time passes, the number of individuals who are well-adapted grows and eventually creates an entirely new species.

Natural selection is a process that is cyclical and involves the interaction of three factors including reproduction, variation and inheritance. Sexual reproduction and mutation increase the genetic diversity of a species. Inheritance is the term used to describe the transmission of genetic traits, which include both dominant and recessive genes, to their offspring. Reproduction is the process of producing viable, fertile offspring. This can be accomplished via sexual or asexual methods.

All of these elements must be in harmony to allow natural selection to take place. For  weblink  when the dominant allele of the gene causes an organism to survive and reproduce more frequently than the recessive allele the dominant allele will become more common in the population. If the allele confers a negative survival advantage or reduces the fertility of the population, it will go away. The process is self-reinforced, meaning that an organism with a beneficial trait is more likely to survive and reproduce than one with a maladaptive characteristic. The more offspring that an organism has, the greater its fitness, which is measured by its capacity to reproduce and survive. Individuals with favorable traits, like having a longer neck in giraffes, or bright white patterns of color in male peacocks are more likely be able to survive and create offspring, and thus will eventually make up the majority of the population over time.

Natural selection is only a factor in populations and not on individuals. This is a significant distinction from the Lamarckian evolution theory which holds that animals acquire traits due to use or lack of use. If a giraffe extends its neck to reach prey and the neck grows longer, then the offspring will inherit this trait. The difference in neck size between generations will increase until the giraffe is unable to breed with other giraffes.

Evolution through Genetic Drift

Genetic drift occurs when the alleles of one gene are distributed randomly within a population. In  에볼루션 무료체험 , only one will be fixed (become common enough that it can no longer be eliminated through natural selection) and the rest of the alleles will diminish in frequency. This can result in an allele that is dominant at the extreme. The other alleles are basically eliminated and heterozygosity has decreased to a minimum. In a small population it could result in the complete elimination of recessive gene. This is known as the bottleneck effect. It is typical of the evolutionary process that occurs whenever the number of individuals migrate to form a population.

A phenotypic bottleneck could occur when the survivors of a catastrophe, such as an epidemic or a mass hunting event, are concentrated within a narrow area. The survivors will share an allele that is dominant and will share the same phenotype. This situation could be caused by earthquakes, war, or even plagues. Whatever the reason, the genetically distinct population that remains is susceptible to genetic drift.

Walsh, Lewens, and Ariew employ Lewens, Walsh and Ariew employ a "purely outcome-oriented" definition of drift as any departure from the expected values of variations in fitness. They cite a famous instance of twins who are genetically identical, share identical phenotypes, but one is struck by lightening and dies while the other lives and reproduces.

This kind of drift could be crucial in the evolution of an entire species. But, it's not the only way to progress. The most common alternative is a process called natural selection, in which phenotypic variation in a population is maintained by mutation and migration.

Stephens claims that there is a vast difference between treating the phenomenon of drift as a force or cause, and considering other causes, such as migration and selection mutation as forces and causes. Stephens claims that a causal process account of drift permits us to differentiate it from other forces, and that this distinction is essential. He also argues that drift has both an orientation, i.e., it tends towards eliminating heterozygosity. It also has a size which is determined by population size.

Evolution by Lamarckism

Biology students in high school are frequently introduced to Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's (1744-1829) work. His theory of evolution is generally called "Lamarckism" and it asserts that simple organisms evolve into more complex organisms by the inheritance of characteristics that are a result of the organism's natural actions, use and disuse.  Recommended Website  is illustrated through the giraffe's neck being extended to reach higher levels of leaves in the trees. This process would cause giraffes to give their longer necks to their offspring, who then become taller.

Lamarck, a French Zoologist from France, presented an idea that was revolutionary in his 17 May 1802 opening lecture at the Museum of Natural History of Paris. He challenged traditional thinking about organic transformation. According Lamarck, living organisms evolved from inanimate materials through a series gradual steps. Lamarck wasn't the only one to suggest this however he was widely regarded as the first to give the subject a comprehensive and general treatment.

The predominant story is that Charles Darwin's theory on evolution by natural selection and Lamarckism fought in the 19th century. Darwinism ultimately won and led to what biologists refer to as the Modern Synthesis. The Modern Synthesis theory denies that acquired characteristics can be inherited, and instead suggests that organisms evolve through the selective action of environmental factors, including natural selection.

Lamarck and his contemporaries endorsed the idea that acquired characters could be passed down to future generations. However, this concept was never a key element of any of their theories on evolution. This is due to the fact that it was never tested scientifically.

It has been more than 200 year since Lamarck's birth and in the field of genomics, there is a growing body of evidence that supports the heritability acquired characteristics. It is sometimes referred to as "neo-Lamarckism" or more commonly, epigenetic inheritance. It is a version of evolution that is just as relevant as the more popular Neo-Darwinian model.

Evolution by the process of adaptation

One of the most commonly-held misconceptions about evolution is its being driven by a struggle for survival. In fact, this view is a misrepresentation of natural selection and ignores the other forces that drive evolution. The struggle for existence is more accurately described as a struggle to survive in a particular environment. This may include not just other organisms, but also the physical surroundings themselves.

To understand how evolution works, it is helpful to understand what is adaptation. It is a feature that allows living organisms to live in its environment and reproduce. It can be a physiological structure such as feathers or fur or a behavioral characteristic such as a tendency to move into shade in hot weather or stepping out at night to avoid the cold.

An organism's survival depends on its ability to draw energy from the environment and to interact with other organisms and their physical environments. The organism must possess the right genes to produce offspring and to be able to access sufficient food and resources. Moreover, the organism must be able to reproduce itself in a way that is optimally within its niche.

These elements, along with mutations and gene flow can result in changes in the proportion of different alleles within a population’s gene pool. This shift in the frequency of alleles can result in the emergence of new traits and eventually new species as time passes.

Many of the characteristics we admire about animals and plants are adaptations, like lung or gills for removing oxygen from the air, feathers or fur for insulation long legs to run away from predators and camouflage to hide. To understand the concept of adaptation it is crucial to differentiate between physiological and behavioral characteristics.

Physical traits such as the thick fur and gills are physical characteristics. Behavior adaptations aren't an exception, for instance, the tendency of animals to seek out companionship or to retreat into the shade during hot temperatures. It is also important to remember that a insufficient planning does not result in an adaptation. Failure to consider the implications of a choice, even if it appears to be rational, may cause it to be unadaptive.