Natural Selection Flashcards

1️⃣ Familiarise yourself with the flashcards:

  • Look through all the flashcards to see what's on both sides.
  • Make sure you understand the information on each card. If something's unclear, click the link to the revision notes at the bottom of the page for more details.

2️⃣ Test yourself:

  • Look at the question or prompt on each card and try to remember the answer before flipping it over.
  • Check the answer and make a note of any cards you find challenging and need to go over more.

3️⃣ Consistently Review and Practice:

  • Use spaced repetition: spend more time on the cards you struggle with and go over them more often.
  • Regularly review all the flashcards to help you better understand and retain the information over time.

Note: We may include questions that have multiple correct answers. It's useful to remember specific examples to understand these concepts better.

PERSONALISED 1-TO-1 TUTORING

Need more help on this topic? Get 1-to-1 support

Get support with clear explanations, practice and feedback (Ages 5 to 16).

  • DBS-checked tutors
  • Flexible times
  • Parents can be updated
Book a free 10-min call See pricing

Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to remove ads

What is natural selection?

Natural selection is the process where individuals that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Why is variation in a population important for natural selection?

Variation means individuals are not all the same, so some will be better suited to the environment and more likely to survive and pass on their genes.

In natural selection, what does the phrase "survival of the fittest" mean?

"Survival of the fittest" means the individuals that are best adapted to their environment are most likely to survive and reproduce.

Describe the main steps in natural selection.

There is variation in a population, some individuals are better adapted, these individuals survive and reproduce, they pass on their genes, and over many generations the population changes.

How does the environment affect which organisms survive in natural selection?

The environment decides which characteristics are helpful, so individuals with helpful characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce.

In natural selection, which individuals are most likely to pass on their genes?

Individuals that are better adapted to the environment and can survive to reproduce are most likely to pass on their genes.

Does natural selection change an individual during its lifetime?

No, natural selection does not change an individual; it affects which individuals survive and reproduce, so the population changes over generations.

Over many generations, what happens to an advantageous allele in natural selection?

An advantageous allele becomes more common in the population because individuals with it are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Why is natural selection described as a gradual process?

Natural selection is gradual because it happens over many generations, not in a single lifetime.

Give one example of natural selection in action.

Peppered moths are an example: during the Industrial Revolution, darker moths were better hidden on soot-covered trees, so they survived and became more common.

Previous Topic
Back to Lesson
Next Topic