A Classification of Living Organisms

Abstract

B. A Summary of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution 1. Organisms produce more offspring than can survive. Of the offspring that do survive, many will never reproduce. 2. Because more organisms are produced than can survive, there is intense competition for limited resources, such as food, water, and shelter. 3. Individuals that are best suited to their environment survive, reproduce, and pass their traits on to their offspring. Other organisms that are less suited for their environment often die, or will not be reproductively competitive. This is the process of “natural selection” and causes the many species of organisms on Earth to change over time. 4. The species that are alive on Earth today are descended with modification from ancestral species that lived in the past.