Comprehension of Natural Selection - Essay Example

Natural selection is very closely related to evolution, natural selection involves heritable traits with the help of which organisms survive long enough and reproduce and this is exactly how their population remains stable. Natural variation also plays a pivotal role in natural selection; natural selection is the chance of survival among organisms. Natural selection is a very important process with the help of which a key process called evolution takes place within a given population of organisms. This paper will present a comprehensive understanding of natural selection; diagrams will be used in the paper to present a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

“Birds that survived in arid environments, the ones that had beaks were best suited for that particular environment and they got more food than the others, the same affected their mating process also, the ones that got more food had better mating conditions than the ones who got less food. Similarly, the birds who had beak-shaped beaks conjured up resources from the environment like nectar from flowers etc and they were also in a very good position. Natural selection refers to being in a very good position and being able to reproduce. This whole process is referred to as Natural selection” (Darwin and Natural Selection, 17 April 2009).

“Charles Darwin is believed to be the founder of this theory and he conducted research in the 19th century on an island where he found that organisms that suit better to the environment are more likely to survive than the organisms that don’t suit the environment" (Theory of Natural Selection, 17 April 2009).

The above diagram shows the evolution of the beaks of these birds; their beaks are instrumental in determining how much food they get. Their beaks enable them to survive in different ecological conditions, the birds that eat grubs have a thin and extended beak and the same enables them to poke into various holes and get the grubs. Finches that eat fruits and similar items would be less successful in doing so because their beaks don’t allow them to do so. Peppered Moth is a classic example of Natural selection; Industrial melanism is a process that occurs in these species. This process has become very common since the beginning of the industrial age. The pollution let out by industries and vehicles would collect on the sides of several buildings and the same changes the colour of the buildings making the buildings darker. The Peppered Moth is usually light in colour and the predators that eat Peppered Moth can easily catch and feed upon the moth because of its evident visibility against the dark background caused by pollution. After a point in time, the process of mutation took place in these species of Peppered Moths and these days, they have become darker in colour when compared to the white Peppered Moths, this means they have again become very difficult to trace and hunt for predators that feed upon them. In this particular case, the process of Natural Selection favours darker moths in polluted environments and whiter moths would suit lesser polluted environments. This is because of their ability to merge with the conditions and become less vulnerable to being hunted down by their predators. The process of Natural selection is clearer with the help of the Peppered Moth example and the diagram in this paper.