Natural selection at the genetic level
I can explain how natural selection leads to advantageous genetic variants becoming more common over generations.
- Year 11
- AQA
Natural selection at the genetic level
I can explain how natural selection leads to advantageous genetic variants becoming more common over generations.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Some mutations cause genetic variants that cause advantageous adaptations in phenotype.
- Individuals with these genetic variants are better adapted to compete, survive, reproduce and pass them on to offspring.
- Natural selection causes advantageous genetic variants to become more common in the population over generations.
- This causes advantageous adaptations in phenotype to become more common in the population over generations.
- Examples explained at the genetic level using ideas about mutation, genetic variants and natural selection.
Keywords
Natural selection - Organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on their genes to their offspring.
Adaptation - A feature that organisms have that helps them live in a particular place and survive.
Genetic variant - A genetic variant is a region of DNA in which the sequence of nucleotide bases has been changed.
Phenotype - The observable traits of an organism.
Common misconception
Many students write that organisms change themselves to become better adapted to their environment.
This lesson contains checks for this misconception and challenges it with examples of natural selection explained at the genetic level.
Equipment
None required.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Fossils show that the common characteristics of a species …
Q2.Who is correct about the features of organisms?
Q3.If a trait can be passed to an organism’s offspring, it is described as ...
Q4.Match each word to its correct definition.
Q5.A mutation in an organism’s DNA creates a genetic ...
Q6.If a mutation changes the sequence of nucleotide bases in an organism’s DNA, this …
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Mutations occur …
Q2.Mutations create genetic variants. Who has the correct idea about genetic variants?
Q3.Match the start of each sentence to its correct ending.
Q4.Because of natural selection, genetic variants that code for advantageous traits …
Q5.Put the statements in the correct order to explain how a mutation can affect an organism’s phenotype.
Q6.Put the statements in the correct order to explain why the genetic variant that codes for black colouration in the peppered moth became more common when tree bark darkened.
