Evolution Introduction Part 2

📖Story Brief #64

Evolution is the process by which living organisms change over time through gradual changes in their traits.

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Evolution is the process by which living organisms change over time through gradual changes in their traits. This occurs mainly through a mechanism called natural selection, where individuals with traits that help them survive and reproduce are more likely to pass those traits on to their offspring. For example, consider the peppered moth in England. Before the Industrial Revolution, most of these moths were light-colored, blending in with tree bark. However, as pollution darkened the trees, darker moths had an advantage because they were less visible to predators. Over time, the population shifted, and more dark-colored moths survived and reproduced. This change in the moth population illustrates how environmental factors can influence which traits become more common in a species. Evolution is a slow process, taking many generations, but it helps explain the diversity of life we see today.

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What is the main mechanism of evolution described in the passage?

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