GENETIC

VARIATION
Explore How Genetic Mutation
and Natural Selection Occur
VARIATION
Differences between the Discontinuous Variation Continuos Variation
individuals of the same species.
40

30

% of People in the population

20

10

0
A B O AB
Blood Group

Everyone fits into a distinct Variation in which there is a

category of phenotype, with no continuous range of phenotypes
intermediates between two extremes
VARIATION Genetic Variation Environmental Variation

Variation can be caused

by the following:

Individuals are different Environmental factors directly

because their genotypes affect a characteristic of an
are different individual or population.
TRY THIS! GENETIC ENVIRONMENTAL

Categorise the following

characteristics on the
Venn diagram.

Hair Colour Blood Group

Height Gender

Haircut Accent

Weight Body Piercings

Inherited Disorders
 GENETIC ENVIRONMENTAL

ANSWER
Hair Colour

TRY THIS!
Accent

Inherited Height
Disorders Haircut
Categorise the following
Weight
characteristics on the Blood Group
Venn diagram. Body Piercings

Gender
VARIATION:CAUSES
Mutation
A random change in a gene - specifically in the base sequence of
the DNA - which can produce new alleles.
The change is usually harmful: the base sequence determines the
amino acid sequence in a protein. If the protein is a different
shape, it will not be able to carry out its function.
Very occasionally mutations can be beneficial.

Mutation of a gene
controlling coat
colour
ADAPTIVE Definition
FEATURES An inherited feature (caused by the genes)
that helps the organism to survive and
reproduce in its environment.
Adapted to be
perfectly
camouflaged

Tuna are fast-swimming

predators with lots of
mitochondria in their
muscle cells to swim
faster
XEROPHYTES
Plants that have adaptive features that help them to live in places
where water is in short supply
Adaptive features
Closing stomata
Waxy cuticle
Hairy leaves
Sunken stomata on underside of
leaves
Reduced surface area on the
leaves
Deep or spreading roots
HYDROPHYTES
Plants that have adaptive features that help them to survive and
reproduce in water
Adaptive features
Roots float freely in the water
Stems and leaves stalks have
hollow spaces filled with water
Stomata on both sides of leaves
Reduced surface area on the
leaves
Deep or spreading roots
NATURAL
SELECTION Four points

A process in which individuals with 1 Variations: Within the population. It affects the
advantageous features are more likely adaptive features of an organisms

to survive, reproduce and pass on 2

Overproduction: Many more offsprings are
their alleles to the next generation produced than will survive

3 Best-adaptive individuals more likely to survive

and reproduce: they have the best adaptive
features (there is a struggle for survival)
4 Alleles that confer useful adaptations are more
likely to be passed on. Advantageous alleles
increase, alleles that are not advantageous
become less common

EXAMPLES: THE PEPPERED MOTH COLOUR CHANGES IN THE UK AND THE DEVELOPMENT
OF ANTIBIOTICS RESISTANCE IN BACTERIA
 THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

NATURAL During the Industrial Revolution,

factories produced large amounts of

SELECTION
soot, which turned the bark of trees
black.

WHITE PEPPERED MOTH

The white peppered The peppered moths at that time
moth turning into were usually white with black
a black moth. speckles, but due to the change in
their environment, they no longer had
natural camouflage.
NATURAL
SELECTION
At that time, peppered moths also had a naturally-occurring genetic mutation,
causing some of them to have black wings.

Their colour helped them better camouflage in blackened urban tree trunks, allowing
them to survive and reproduce. Natural selection favoured the dark moths, leading to
a rapid increase in their proportion within the population.
 Answer:

THINK
ABOUT IT!
Antibiotic resistance can arise when
patients do not complete their
prescribed course of antibiotics.

For instance, if a patient takes

antibiotics for only 3 out of 5
How does not completing a prescribed prescribed days, some bacteria may
course of antibiotics demonstrate the survive. These surviving bacteria
principles of natural selection and can mutate, developing resistance
mutation in the development of antibiotic to the antibiotic.
resistance in bacteria?
NATURAL
SELECTION
KEY WORDS

Selection pressure: Something in the environment

that affects the chance of individuals with different
features will survive and reproduce (Predation by
birds in the Peppered Moth example)
Adaptation: The process, resulting from natural
selection, by which populations become more
suited to their environment over many generations
(Bacteria becoming more adapted to their
environment)
DNA Mutation and Natural Selection Over time cause differences in the
DNA sequences of organisms.

SEQUENCES These differences int he base sequence of DNA can be used to

determine how closely related two organisms are
If the base sequences are identical, then the two organisms
probably belong to the same species
If they are different, they may belong to different species
The more differences, the more distantly related the two species
are i.e. the two species only share a distant ancestor

SELECTIVE Humans select individual animals or plants with desirable features

to breed together, repeating the process for several generations

BREEDING Differences between natural (N.S) and artificial selection (A.S):

In N.S. the environment selects the “best” individual, in A.S. it
is humans

(ARTIFICIAL In N.S. there is random mating, in A.S. humans choose which

individuals will reproduce

SELECTION)
N.S. is slower than A.S.
In N.S. there is more variation and weaker selection pressure
 REVIEW AND SUMMARY
GENOME VARIATION

Variation is the differences in characteristics

Genome is the complete genetic material
within a population of a species. Variation can
of an organism.
be caused by genetics and the environment.

GENETIC MUTATION NATURAL SELECTION

Genetic mutation is when a genetic code on a Natural selection is the mechanism by which
gene can either become damaged or the faulty organisms that are more suited to their
gene is inherited. environment survive and reproduce.