Darwin drift
You know how when you play with your toys, some of them might accidentally fall under the couch or get lost in the room? That's kind of like what happens with genes in animals and plants. This is called "mutation" and it's like a little accidental change in their DNA code.
Over time, these mutations can add up and make a big difference in how different animals and plants look and act. This is called "evolution", and it is how animals and plants change and adapt to their environment over long periods of time.
But sometimes, changes in traits happen not because they help animals survive better in their environment, but just because of random chance. This is where "Darwin drift" comes in.
For example, if there are two groups of birds living on opposite sides of a mountain, they might develop slightly different colors or patterns of feathers over time - not because one pattern or color is better for survival than the other, but just because the mutations that led to those colors and patterns happen to be more common in one group than the other, by chance.
So, Darwin drift is when traits change over time just because of random chance, rather than because they help animals survive better in their environment. It's like the DNA of animals and plants is playing a game of chance, and sometimes the mutations that happen just happen to be more common or more popular than others, leading to changes in traits.
Over time, these mutations can add up and make a big difference in how different animals and plants look and act. This is called "evolution", and it is how animals and plants change and adapt to their environment over long periods of time.
But sometimes, changes in traits happen not because they help animals survive better in their environment, but just because of random chance. This is where "Darwin drift" comes in.
For example, if there are two groups of birds living on opposite sides of a mountain, they might develop slightly different colors or patterns of feathers over time - not because one pattern or color is better for survival than the other, but just because the mutations that led to those colors and patterns happen to be more common in one group than the other, by chance.
So, Darwin drift is when traits change over time just because of random chance, rather than because they help animals survive better in their environment. It's like the DNA of animals and plants is playing a game of chance, and sometimes the mutations that happen just happen to be more common or more popular than others, leading to changes in traits.