AP Biology Flashcards: Introduction to Natural Selection
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
According to Darwin's theory, what is the direct result of competition for resources?
Competition for resources leads to differential survival, where individuals with favorable phenotypes are more likely to survive and reproduce.
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According to Darwin's theory, what is the direct result of competition for resources?
Competition for resources leads to differential survival, where individuals with favorable phenotypes are more likely to survive and reproduce.
What is natural selection?
Natural selection is a major mechanism of evolution where competition for resources leads to differential survival.
How does natural selection affect populations?
Natural selection affects populations by causing individuals with favorable phenotypes to be more likely to survive and reproduce, influencing the genetic makeup of future generations.
What characteristic determines if an individual is more likely to survive and reproduce?
Individuals with favorable phenotypes for their specific environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.
How do environmental fluctuations impact evolution?
Fluctuations in biotic and abiotic environments can affect the rate and direction of evolution by selecting for different genetic variations in each generation.
A region experiences a long-term temperature increase (an abiotic change). How might this affect a local mammal population?
The temperature change would select for individuals with favorable phenotypes for warmer climates, affecting the direction of that population's evolution.
Define evolutionary fitness.
Evolutionary fitness is measured by an organism's reproductive success.
If a new disease (a biotic factor) sweeps through a population, which individuals possess the highest evolutionary fitness?
Individuals with genetic variations that provide resistance to the disease would have higher reproductive success and therefore greater evolutionary fitness.
What is meant by 'differential survival'?
Differential survival means that within a population, some individuals are more likely to survive than others due to their specific traits.
What is the relationship between natural selection and evolution?
Natural selection is a major mechanism that drives the process of evolution.
What two types of environmental factors can alter the rate and direction of evolution?
Both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) environmental factors can affect the rate and direction of evolution.