Natural Selection Misconception

There is a common misconception that evolution occurs randomly. This misunderstanding incorrectly assumes that natural selections itself is random. However, even though randomness plays a part in the process of evolution through genetic mutations, it does not necessarily stipulate that species evolve without cause. Genetic variation occurs randomly and is determined by the fitness and success of a species. It is directly related to its inherited traits with the context of its local environment. The mechanism of evolution controls and ensures that the process is non-random. The theory of evolution states that evolution is the process by which a species changes over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits. Change is inevitable, but this misconception ignores the fundamental role of natural selection. Chance occurs in the form of genetic variation, but on the other hand, selection is not by coincidence. In a way, the random genetic pool is the raw material in which selection, which is affected by the environment and a species’ will to survive, chooses which traits will be most successful so the species can reproduce. This misconception is proven wrong through the natural world and can be seen throughout nature. When the environment changes, organisms must
learn to adapt and over time this may lead to a different species. Unhelpful mutations die out because they do not help the population to survive while the advantageous mutations continue to proliferate. Consider the relationship between pests and pesticides which are used to eradicate them, the pests have random mutations for the limit of pesticide level that they can endure, and over time, the ones with lower tolerance die out while the pests with higher persistence are not affected by the pesticide dose. Therefore, the surviving pests are considered to be “fit” for their environment and pass on their genes by the means of reproduction which makes the gene frequency for the resistance to the pesticide more common, leading to the pesticide not having the same impact as it did before. Nonetheless, evolution is not a random process.
People may confuse the multitude of mutations that cause diversity within a population with evolution but in no way, are genes randomly chosen. It occurs with the presence of natural selection where mixes of variate traits are limited by differential reproduction because populations are all finite, leading to heredity, or the passing of traits from parent to offspring, of characteristics and behaviors that allowed for a population to survive. Evolution is not arbitrary, but rather the changes caused by competition of the survival of the fittest which is dependent and limited on other factors: environment, selection, and
competition.