• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] An organism's features reflect its evolutionary history.
• [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] There is a fit between organisms and their environments, though not always a perfect fit.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Evolution results from natural selection acting upon genetic variation within a population.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] New heritable traits can result from mutations.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Mutation is a random process.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Inherited characteristics affect the likelihood of an organism's survival and reproduction.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Over time, the proportion of individuals with advantageous traits may increase (and the proportion with disadvantageous traits may decrease) due to their chances of surviving and reproducing.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Traits that confer an advantage may persist in the population and are called adaptations.
• [Mechanisms of evolution: Grades 13-16] Depending on environmental conditions, inherited characteristics may be advantageous, neutral, or detrimental.

There are no NGSS/DCI concepts currently linked to this resource.

Use this resource to relate evolutionary concepts to the topic of DNA transcription and translation (or get more suggestions for incorporating evolution throughout your biology syllabus). Answers to the worksheet are readily available online, so if this is a concern, you may wish to do the activity in class.

• Genetic Variation
• Natural Selection