Wait, dogs have a super strong sense of smell. bugs taste through their feet. sharks can taste and smell blood from miles away. ants can carry stuff that's 50 times their weight. octopus can multitask. And we....what?? and don't say something stupid.

We have the ability to build superstructures hundreds of meters high, we have nukes, we can communicate through billions of people and still be organized, we have the internet, we have the most complicated brains, and we can throw stuff with accuracy for hundreds of meters, which is something not even monkeys can do, the list is almost endless.

Why do animals have disadvantages and why cant they have just advantages

Because as the environment shifts with time, a trait that was once disadvantageous will become advantageous once more. This can be seen with the peppered moths, the white ones became disadvantageous while the black ones became advantageous, but soon that shifted so the white became advantageous again.

How can things turn in a colour? Why can't I turn blue or yellow?

Technically speaking, you could turn blue and yellow. Take a bird for example: birds have evolved to have flashy/bright colors to attract a mate or to intimidate other bird competitors. Humans however, do not need blue or yellow skin. Humans have evolved to where we look more for personality and looks (and more) rather than bright, flashy colors.

i wonder how rare are black peppered moths now

Not rare at all according to google.

Is being black an advantage?

Okay, in some places being of a darker skin pigment can be beneficial. For instance having a darker skin pigment can help protect the person from stronger or more harmful UV radiation. Fun fact: Darker skin pigments are linked to more uv-intensive areas like Africa and lighter pigments are linked to places that Europe and Asia since they have less uv-intensive areas! *Happy Learning*!

If organisms have disadvantageous traits, are we with it?

We can have disadvantageous traits too. I for one have really bad eyesight. Humans adapted and made glasses though.

Why are organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to reproduce?

Organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to reproduce because they are more likely to survive long enough to have offspring and raise them. If a prey animal is less likely to be seen by predators, it is less likely to be eaten so it can breed, have offspring, and continue it's lineage.

I've always wondered why rabbits turn white in the winter. This article doesn't answer it because they do that not through natural selection but seasonally. Any ideas?

Its actually not rabbits but hares. The reason for this is since the days are shorter, they produce less melanin (the thing that gives skin color) since there is less sun time. Their skin becomes white because it cannot give color because of the shortage. Hope this helped!

Main content

Course: Middle school biology - NGSS > Unit 9

Lesson 1: Natural selection

Natural selection

Google Classroom

Review your understanding of natural selection in this free article aligned to NGSS standards.

Key points

Individuals in a population have variations, or differences, in their inherited traits. These trait variations are due to differences in individuals’ genes.
Some traits make an organism more likely to survive and reproduce in its environment. These are called advantageous traits. For example, advantageous traits often make organisms better at finding food or avoiding predators.
Some traits make an organism less likely to survive and reproduce in its environment. These are called disadvantageous traits. For example, disadvantageous traits may make an organism more likely to be seen by predators, or less likely to mate.
Organisms with advantageous traits are likely to have more offspring. These offspring inherit their parents’ advantageous traits. As a result, the advantageous traits become more common in the population over multiple generations. This process is called natural selection.
Organisms with disadvantageous traits are likely to have fewer offspring. So, natural selection also causes disadvantageous traits to become less common in a population.
As inherited traits become more or less common in a population, so do their underlying genes.

A diagram showing natural selection in action. 1) Mice in a population have brown or tan fur. The environment is mostly dark rock. 2) Tan mice are more likely to be eaten by predators. Brown mice are more likely to survive and have offspring. 3) After many generations, the brown fur trait is more common in the population. Image created with Biorender.com.

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Addison
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Why do animals have disadvantages and why cant they have just advantages
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- Wolfy
  Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to Wolfy's post “Because as the environmen...”
  Because as the environment shifts with time, a trait that was once disadvantageous will become advantageous once more. This can be seen with the peppered moths, the white ones became disadvantageous while the black ones became advantageous, but soon that shifted so the white became advantageous again.
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girlypop
Posted a year ago. Direct link to girlypop's post “Wait, dogs have a super s...”
Wait, dogs have a super strong sense of smell. bugs taste through their feet. sharks can taste and smell blood from miles away. ants can carry stuff that's 50 times their weight. octopus can multitask. And we....what?? and don't say something stupid.
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- Burger
  Posted 6 months ago. Direct link to Burger's post “We have the ability to bu...”
  We have the ability to build superstructures hundreds of meters high, we have nukes, we can communicate through billions of people and still be organized, we have the internet, we have the most complicated brains, and we can throw stuff with accuracy for hundreds of meters, which is something not even monkeys can do, the list is almost endless.
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- ☆𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂☆ [off]
  Posted a year ago. Direct link to ☆𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂☆ [off]'s post “Technically speaking, you...”
  Technically speaking, you could turn blue and yellow.
  
  Take a bird for example: birds have evolved to have flashy/bright colors to attract a mate or to intimidate other bird competitors.
  
  Humans however, do not need blue or yellow skin. Humans have evolved to where we look more for personality and looks (and more) rather than bright, flashy colors.
  Button navigates to signup page
  (13 votes)
David
Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to David's post “i wonder how rare are bla...”
i wonder how rare are black peppered moths now
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- 23jaivasamad
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  Not rare at all according to google.
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KellyS
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all is good
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ralvarez42383
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Why are organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to reproduce?
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- Wolfy
  Posted 2 years ago. Direct link to Wolfy's post “Organisms with advantageo...”
  Organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to reproduce because they are more likely to survive long enough to have offspring and raise them. If a prey animal is less likely to be seen by predators, it is less likely to be eaten so it can breed, have offspring, and continue it's lineage.
  Comment on Wolfy's post “Organisms with advantageo...”
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🧋Allison🧋
Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to 🧋Allison🧋's post “I've always wondered why ...”
I've always wondered why rabbits turn white in the winter. This article doesn't answer it because they do that not through natural selection but seasonally. Any ideas?
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- 23jaivasamad
  Posted 9 months ago. Direct link to 23jaivasamad's post “Its actually not rabbits ...”
  Its actually not rabbits but hares. The reason for this is since the days are shorter, they produce less melanin (the thing that gives skin color) since there is less sun time. Their skin becomes white because it cannot give color because of the shortage. Hope this helped!
  Comment on 23jaivasamad's post “Its actually not rabbits ...”
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HELP!
Posted 5 months ago. Direct link to HELP!'s post “Is being black an advanta...”
Is being black an advantage?
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- Micah G. Treggi
  Posted 5 months ago. Direct link to Micah G. Treggi's post “Okay, in some places bein...”
  Okay, in some places being of a darker skin pigment can be beneficial. For instance having a darker skin pigment can help protect the person from stronger or more harmful UV radiation. Fun fact: Darker skin pigments are linked to more uv-intensive areas like Africa and lighter pigments are linked to places that Europe and Asia since they have less uv-intensive areas!
  
  Happy Learning!
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  (5 votes)
Кази
Posted a year ago. Direct link to Кази's post “If organisms have disadva...”
If organisms have disadvantageous traits, are we with it?
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- MeherTheKing🤪
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  We can have disadvantageous traits too. I for one have really bad eyesight. Humans adapted and made glasses though.
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If all the white animals were hunted by prey then how did they reproduce to bring them back?
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- treehousecool
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  not all of them were
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