🧬 Evolution — Intro#

Scope — Core principles of evolution: variation, inheritance, selection, and common descent.

Key concepts#

• Natural selection — differential survival and reproduction of variants.
• Genetic variation — mutations, recombination, and gene flow create heritable differences.
• Common descent — species share ancestry; phylogenies represent relationships.

Seed Q&A triads#

• Q: What is natural selection in one sentence?
  A: Natural selection is the process where heritable traits that increase reproductive success become more common across generations.

• Q: How do mutations contribute to evolution?
  A: Mutations introduce new genetic variants that selection and drift can act upon.

• Q: What evidence supports common descent?
  A: Fossil sequences, comparative anatomy, molecular homology, and nested phylogenetic patterns.

Quick activities#

• Sketch a simple phylogenetic tree for four hypothetical species and label one shared derived trait (synapomorphy).