[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-618904-105":59,"doc-detail-618904-en":129},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":122,"head_meta":124,"extra_data":126,"updated_unix":128},105,"en","evolution-101-mechanisms-the-processes-of-evolution","Evolution 101 - Mechanisms: the processes of evolution","","Evolution 101: Mechanisms: the processes of evolution explains how evolutionary change works through descent with modification and heritable changes across generations. It distinguishes examples where changes are not heritable due to environmental effects versus cases where gene frequencies shift because inherited information changes. The document then introduces key mechanisms of evolutionary change—mutation, migration (gene flow), genetic drift, and natural selection—along with how each affects gene frequencies and the limits on introducing fundamentally new traits.",{"@graph":69,"@context":121},[70,84,104],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":30,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/technology/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/evolution-101-mechanisms-the-processes-of-evolution/618904/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":98,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":99,"interactionStatistic":100},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/evolution-101-mechanisms-the-processes-of-evolution/618904.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Eliana","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-20",true,{"@type":101,"interactionType":102,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":103},"ViewAction",{"@type":105,"mainEntity":106},"FAQPage",[107,113,117],{"name":108,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":110},"How does evolution relate to heritable information?","Question",{"text":111,"@type":112},"Evolution occurs when there is a change in heritable information passed from one generation to the next. Those modifications must be heritable to produce long-term change.","Answer",{"name":114,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":115},"Why is the first beetle example not considered evolution?",{"text":116,"@type":112},"In example 1, beetle size changes due to environmental influences like low food supply, not because of genetic changes. If food returns, offspring return to normal size.",{"name":118,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":119},"What are the four main mechanisms of evolutionary change?",{"text":120,"@type":112},"The document lists mutation, migration (gene flow), genetic drift, and natural selection. Each mechanism changes gene frequencies and other genetic elements in populations.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":123,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":125,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":127,"site_id":62},618904,1792461970,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":130},{"doc_id":127,"user_id":131,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":132,"doc_module":4,"category_id":29,"category_name":30,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":133,"file_id":134,"file_url":135,"file_type":136,"file_size":137,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":138,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":128,"read_time":143},4398048949847,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/400002536579ef2da7f?_k=1778318612642679267","Evolution 101: Mechanisms: the processes of evolution  \nMechanisms: the processes of evolution  \nEvolution is the process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient ancestors. Evolution is responsible for both the remarkable similarities we see across all life and the amazing diversity of that life—but exactly how does it work? Here, we’ll find out.  \nMechanisms: the processes of evolution [1](1 UnderstandingEvolution.org)[ UnderstandingEvolution.org](1 UnderstandingEvolution.org)  \nEvolution 101: Mechanisms: the processes of evolution  \nDescent with modification  \nWe’ve defined evolution as descent with modification from a common ancestor, but exactly what has been modified? Evolution occurs when there is a change in the heritable information passed from one generation to the next.  \nTypically, we think of biological evolution as changes in gene frequency within a population over time – if, say, birds with genes that produce wide beaks went from being rare to being common over multiple generations. But biological evolution also includes changes in DNA that does not code for genes and changes in heritable information not encoded in DNA at all. In all of these cases, the modifications are heritable and can be passed on to the next generation—which is what really matters in evolution: long term change. Here, we’ll focus on changes in genes and other genetic elements (e.g., in non-coding DNA) as they relate to evolution.  \nCompare these two examples of change in beetle populations. Which one is an example of evolution?  \n1. Beetles on a diet  \nImagine the population experiences many years of drought in which there are few plants that the beetles can eat.  \nAll the beetles have the same chances of survival and reproduction, but because of food restrictions, the beetles in later generations are smaller than the pre-drought generations of beetles.  \n2. Beetles ofa different color  \nMost of the beetles in the population (say 90%) have a gene for green coloration and a few of them (10%) have a gene that makes them brown.  \nSeveral generations later, things have changed: brown beetles are more common and make up 70% of the population.  \nWhich example illustrates descent with modification? The difference in size in example 1 came about because of environmental influences—the low food supply—not because of a change in heritable information. Therefore,  \nMechanisms: the processes of evolution [2](2 UnderstandingEvolution.org)[ UnderstandingEvolution.org](2 UnderstandingEvolution.org)  \nEvolution 101: Mechanisms: the processes of evolution  \nexample 1 is not evolution. Because the small body size in this population was not genetically determined, it is temporary: if the beetles’ food supply is restored, this generation of small-bodied beetles will produce normal size offspring.  \nThe shift in color frequency in example 2 is definitely evolution: these two generations ofthe same population are genetically different. There has been a change in heritable information, and this shift will be passed down to the next generation (possibly with further changes introduced) . But how did it happen?  \nMechanisms: the processes of evolution [3](3 UnderstandingEvolution.org)[ UnderstandingEvolution.org](3 UnderstandingEvolution.org)  \nEvolution 101: Mechanisms: the processes of evolution  \nMechanisms of change  \nEach of these four processes is a basic mechanism of evolutionary change and is illustrated with an example of gene frequency change in a beetle population with brown and green individuals.  \nMutation: A mutation could cause beetle parents with genes for bright green coloration to have offspring with a gene for brown coloration. That would make genes for brown coloration more frequent in the population than they were before the mutation.  \nMigration: Some individuals from a population of brown beetles might have moved into a population of green beetles. That would make genes for brown coloration more frequent in the green beetle popul","cbCairEoOV10xgMl","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairEoOV10xgMl","pdf",9019714,34,"English","# Descent with modification\n## Heritable information and long-term change\n## Example: beetle populations\n# Mechanisms of change\n## Mutation\n## Migration (gene flow)\n## Genetic drift\n## Natural selection\n# Genetic variation","[{\"question\":\"How does evolution relate to heritable information?\",\"answer\":\"Evolution occurs when there is a change in heritable information passed from one generation to the next. Those modifications must be heritable to produce long-term change.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is the first beetle example not considered evolution?\",\"answer\":\"In example 1, beetle size changes due to environmental influences like low food supply, not because of genetic changes. If food returns, offspring return to normal size.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the four main mechanisms of evolutionary change?\",\"answer\":\"The document lists mutation, migration (gene flow), genetic drift, and natural selection. Each mechanism changes gene frequencies and other genetic elements in populations.\"}]","Evolution 101 - Mechanisms: the processes of evolution | PDF",86]