Selection and evolution

What you'll learn

• Explain that genetic and environmental factors affect phenotypic variation.
• Explain the differences between continuous and discontinuous variation.
• Explain how natural selection takes place, including reference to the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
• Explain the differences between stabilising, disruptive and directional selection.
• Explain how the founder effect and genetic drift may affect allele frequencies.
• Use the Hardy–Weinberg equations.
• Describe the principles of selective breeding, including examples.
• Outline the theory of evolution in terms of changes to gene pools.
• Discuss the use of DNA sequencing to determine relationships between species.
• Explain how new species can be formed by allopatric and sympatric processes.

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