LAC 28:XI.9779. Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

A. Identify patterns (e.g., DNA sequences, fossil records) as evidence to a claim of common ancestry. B. Recognize that as a species grows in number, competition for limited resources also increases. C. Recognize that different individuals have specific traits that give advantages (e.g., survive and reproduce at higher rates) over other individuals in the species. D. Identify how evolution may be a result of genetic variation through mutations and sexual reproduction in a species that is passed on to their offspring. E. Use patterns in data to identify how heritable variations in a trait may lead to an increasing proportion of individuals within a population with that trait (i.e., an advantageous characteristic). F. Use data to provide evidence for how specific biotic or abiotic differences in ecosystems (e.g., ranges of seasonal temperature, acidity, light, geographic barriers) support the claim that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait are better able to survive over time. G. Identify the relationship between naturally occurring or human-induced changes in the environment (e.g., drought, flood, deforestation, fishing, application of fertilizers) and the expression of traits in a species (e.g., peppered moth studies). H. Identify the relationship between naturally occurring or human-induced changes in the environment (e.g., drought, flood, deforestation, fishing, application of fertilizers) and the emergence of new species over time. I. Identify that species become extinct because they can no longer survive and reproduce given changes in the environment.