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How Species Adapted To Environment Essay

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In 1859, Charles Darwin published a book that would explain why species changed and how they adapted to their environments. One of the most famous and widely accepted of his theories was that of Natural Selection, which can be summarized as “survival of the fittest”, for it stated that variations of species that have traits adapted to their environment and beneficial to their survival and reproduction will pass their genes on to their offspring, who have an increased chance of survival and passing their genes on to another set of offspring, so that with each generation, there are more surviving individuals to continue reproducing. Variations are the differing traits present within a specific species, and variations that are beneficial to an organism’s survival and increase one’s chances of reproduction so they are more likely to pass their genes on, …show more content…

Species in different locations can have different variations, because they have adapted to their environments differently. All in all, specific traits are more prominent in a population because they increase the chances of an individual’s survival and reproduction. Firstly, in the population of cliff swallows that inhabit states in the midwest, the swallows with shorter wingspans are more common, as it allows them to move more quickly to avoid oncoming traffic. The swallows build nests for their colonies beneath “highway bridges, overpasses, and road culverts,” which highly increases their risk of becoming roadkill due to a collision with oncoming cars (Dolasia). In addition, these small Nebraskan birds are aerial feeders that hunt at speeds of more than 20 to 25 mph. The swallows are also constantly on the road, for they swallow pebbles and cement to aid in the digestion of more solid foods (Dolasia). These factors put the birds at exceptional risk of being hit by a vehicle, so the swallows

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