BIOL 1001 Lecture 99: [Note] Ernst Mayr's summary of Natural Selection - 1
15 Jan 2016
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Observation #1 (exponential population growth capacity; overproduction: all species have great potential fertility, therefore, their population size would increase exponentially, if all individuals that are born reproduced successfully. Observation #2 (stability in population sizes) ( except seasonal fluctuations: population size tend to remain stable. Observation #3 (limited resources: environmental resources are limited, inference #1. Production of more individuals than the environment can support. Lead to a struggle for existence. Only a fraction of offspring would survive each generation. There has to be a struggle among individuals in a population (conclusion) among individuals of a population. The stability in population size is because of a struggle for existence due to. Death of those that struggle less well. Observation #4 (various / extensive characteristics: individuals of a population vary extensively in their characteristics. Observation #5 (heritable variation: much of this variation is heritable, inference #2. Survival in the struggle for existence is not random.
