A model of natural selection

Key learning points

• A simple model can be used to demonstrate natural selection, e.g. picking up green and white cocktail sticks from grass.
• The model can be used to make predictions about how a population will change over time due to natural selection.
• The prediction may change if the environmental conditions change (e.g. if the grass becomes frosty/snowy).

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.

model

Scientists use models as simpler representations of complex things and ideas.

hypothesis

An idea based on observations about how something works.

prediction

A scientific prediction is a testable statement about a possible outcome of an experiment.

Common mistakes

• Thinking that populations of organisms stay the same forever.

  This model clearly demonstrates that populations change over time due to natural selection, with advantageous traits (e.g. camouflage) becoming more common in the population.