Now, read the article, "Understanding Natural Selection: Essential Concepts and Common Misconceptions" by T. Ryan Gregory. Take your time and read through this piece slowly and thoughtfully. Take notes. Once you have read the entire article, answer the following questions using your notes and by re-reading as needed.
4. Now that you have read through the article, re-state the definition, in your own words, of "natural selection". Has anything changed since you previously stated it? What did you originally leave out (if anything)?
5. Why is genetic variation among individuals in a population a fundamental requirement for evolutionary change? What would happen if variation did not exist?
6. Why was Darwin's original formulation of the theory of natural selection vague or incorrect? What has been elucidated in science since his time? In other words, what was Darwin's "black box"?
7. What is the evolutionary definition of "fitness"? How does this definition differ from its usage in common language?
8. Why is the term "survival of the fittest" misleading?
9. What are the "two steps" involved in adaptive evolution referred to in the article?
10. Explain why mutation is random with respect to fitness while natural selection is non-random with respect to fitness. Does adaptation therefore happen by chance?
11. The figure below (Fig. 2) illustrates two simplified models for how populations evolve through time. Why is the process on the right incorrect? What common misconception is the author attempting to clarify?