The Survival of the Fittest

The term “natural selection” or “the survival of the fittest” means the gradual genetic change of living organisms over time due to the ecological pressures they experience. This term became popular with Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. There are four governing principles to it. First of all, all species show variation. For example there are different kinds of fish, cats or dogs. Second, there’s a competition within each species about their habitat, food and mates. Then, the better adapted ones of these species are the ones to survive. As the populations produce too many young, the ones that can live in harmony with others and suit the environment best can live longer. For instance, if a dog lives in a very cold climate, it must have long fur to live a long time. The ones with short fur will be cold and die. Finally, the last principle of the selection is that the survivors will pass their genes to their offspring who will also show beneficial variation. With the inheritance, the best of the species will continue and life will go on.

The most damage to “natural selection” comes from human beings. When man interferes with nature, there are inevitable consequences. The situation where a non-native species is introduced and causes chaos has occurred many times. For example, red squirrels were once the only species of squirrel in Europe until the grey variety was introduced in the late 18th century from the USA. The grey squirrel is bigger and more aggressive so the numbers of red squirrels reduced as their food and habitat were taken over by its grey counterpart.

People have learned so much about the mysteries of our world that we now dominate Earth’s ecosystems. Man has managed to take control of the earth so much that pure ecology has vanished from the face of this planet! Untouched ecological systems no longer exist anywhere. Effects of overpopulation like pollution of the atmosphere, water, and land, habitat destruction, endangered species and changed ecosystems are only some of the results. If we continue overpopulating the world, there won’t be much place for all of us to live altogether and as in the natural selection, only the stronger ones will survive. If we keep polluting our world, the global weather will change and we will have to handle difficult situations.