Researchers have observed evolutionary change over time due to the evolution of genes and genomes. They have spanned research on the process of gradual change and development known as the evolutionary process. It can be defined as the adaptation process where species become compatible with a new environment or adjust themselves to new conditions. In evolutionary biology, evolutionary processes are studied to know the history of various life forms on Earth. When species change over time, there occur genetic variations. As a result, physical characteristics such as phenotypes of a particular species are modified. Some species have the advantage of evolution. Thus, the process is called biological adaptation.
What is the Evolutionary Process?
The evolutionary process is studied in the subfield of biology known as evolutionary biology. There are remarkable similarities and amazing diversity of life caused due to evolution. Let’s try to know how the evolutionary process takes place.
An evolutionary process is a process that produces common or rare characteristics among species that result in the diversity of life. The acquired or new set of characteristics result from gene mutation and the expression of genes passed on from parents to their offspring. But organisms do not significantly differ from one another. If they have new characteristics, they can be defined as adaptations. When organisms become better suited to their new environment, it means the evolutionary process goes on. In general, some of the characteristics change for new roles. These characteristics revolutionise over successive generations. For example, the evolution was noticeable in the species of Pepper Moth.
The evolutionary process results in biodiversity at every level of species and molecules. The change is brought about by mutation in DNA. There may be other mechanisms of the evolutionary process. Here, we’ll find out more.
Types of the Evolutionary Process
Overall, biological evolution is the descent of different species from one generation to the next. But what is the mechanism it works on? Following are the types of evolutionary processes responsible for evolutionary change.
1] Natural selection
Natural selection has been defined as an evolutionary process and an important factor. When species adapt themselves to a new environment, some tend to survive and produce more offspring. The process is regarded as natural selection. It is a key process that can lead to speciation. It helps in driving evolutionary changes. Charles Darwin was the first person to mention natural selection. He called it the survival of the fittest. Some environmental factors, such as temperature, climate, and the availability of resources, affect the evolutionary process through natural selection.
2] Genetic Drift
Genetic drift is the evolutionary process that happens as a result of an error in selecting alleles from generations. It occurs when a random event causes natural changes. It is a process that influences the allelic frequencies of a population. There are two types of genetic drift, including the bottleneck effect and the founder effect. The increasing or decreasing frequency in the allele of a large or small population causes genetic drift. It is because there will be the presence of some organisms losing an entire allele.
3] Mutation
The basic mechanism of evolutionary change is mutation. When there is an alteration in the sequence of the genome of DNA, it results in mutation. The mutation of the DNA sequence inside a chromosome can be harmful as well as beneficial.
4] Gene Flow
The transfer of genetic material from one population to another is known as gene flow (or migration). Therefore, the allele frequency of genes can be equal in two different populations to form a single population.
Evolutionary Process Examples
Example 1: A colony of bacteria grows in a medium X. They reproduce in the medium X. But when medium X was changed to medium Y, the colony couldn’t reproduce anymore. Still, some of the bacteria adapted to the new condition and survived in medium Y. Hence, the mechanism of evolution will be considered natural selection.
Example 2: Mother and father have blue and brown eyes, respectively. There will be a 50% chance of passing the same gene to their children. Consider the brown eye allele as the dominant one. Then, all their children may have brown eyes due to genetic drift. Therefore, this is how the evolutionary process takes place in humans.
Conclusion
In evolutionary development biology, the evolutionary process plays a major role in determining the mechanism of change. There are two types of evolution, including microevolution and macroevolution. Microevolution is regarded as the phenomenon of evolution within a species. On the other hand, macroevolution is a phenomenon across species. But when we talk about evolutionary process examples in which natural selection becomes the major key for survival, it helps organisms get selected by nature. Even successive adjustments are made by this process over a huge span of time. Moreover, we can say modern organisms have descended from their ancestors because of the evolutionary process.