Blueprint of Life

Evolution
Evolution means a change in living organisms over a long period of time
Until the early 19
th
century that a mechanism for evolution that was worth serious
consideration was proposed by Jean Baptiste Lamarck (acquired characteristics
Although his theory was later reject, his ideas opened the way for the proposal of
new ideas resulting in the currently accepted theory of evolution by natural selection
Proposed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace in the late 19
th
century
Darwin and Wallace suggested natural selection as the mechanism that could
account for the survival of organisms
Natural selection theory states that:
- Many individuals within populations naturally possess differences or variation in
their structure, behaviour and/or functioning
- If there is a change in the environment, the variations will enable some to
survive (well suited to the change) while others die
- Their organisms that are well suited survive to reproduce (described as survival
of the fittest by a later biologist) and these surviving individuals would pass on
their favourable characteristics to future generations
- After many generations these features become common in the population

Physical conditions in the environment
These include natural conditions, such as temperature and the availability of water
Approximately 25 million years ago Australia was considerably wetter than today
with larger areas of rainforest
During this time, kangaroos were small and omnivorous with unspecialised teeth,
eating a variety of foods from the forest floor.
Food was nutritious and abundant; there was no need for specialised grinding teeth
As Australia became more and more arid and grass became the dominant
vegetation in some areas, environmental selective pressure resulted in larger
kangaroos favouring teeth suitable for grass.
These teeth, high-crested molars, efficiently grind low nutrition grass into a more
easily digestible paste

Chemical conditions in the environment
Chemicals that can affect the evolution of species include salts, chemicals in
food/environment such as insecticides, antibiotic etc. and elements such as iron
For example, many parts of Australia have soils that have a high salinity.
There are a range of salt tolerant plants that have evolved to inhabit those areas
The animals that feed from these plants have also evolved to inhabit those areas.
Continued use of the insecticide can result in the mutation of a modifier gene that
increases and maintains the resistance
Thus, the insecticides can never be effective again, regardless of the number of
insect generations that pass.

Competition for resources
This occurs within a species and between species
If a new species is introduced into an area then the competition may lead to
different species using different resources
Resources can include food, space or mates
If populations that live in the same area could specialise on slightly different
resources or breed at different times, they would avoid direct competition
Some species of fruit fly have evolved into different species with each confined to a
different type of fruit tree