Standard 7d Preknowledge
7d) Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a species will survive under changed environmental conditions.
CALIFORNIA FRAMEWORKS SUMMARY:
As environmental factors change, natural selection of adaptive traits must also be realigned. Variation within a species stemming either from mutation or from genetic recombination broadens the opportunity for that species to adapt to change, increasing the probability that at least some members of the species will be suitably adapted to the new conditions. Genetic diversity promotes survival of a species should the environment change significantly, and sameness can mean vulnerability that could lead to extinction.