Lesson summary for...

Species, speciation and the environment

Author/Source: ActionBioscience.org
Overview:Niles Eldredge gives a historical overview of scientists' thinking on the process of speciation, along with modern perspectives on this issue.
This article appears at ActionBioscience.org.
Concepts:This lesson covers the following concepts:
  • Biological evolution accounts for diversity over long periods of time.
  • Present-day species evolved from earlier species; the relatedness of organisms is the result of common ancestry.
  • Geological change and biological evolution are linked.
  • Tectonic plate movement has affected the evolution and distribution of living things.
  • Speciation is the splitting of one ancestral lineage into two or more descendant lineages.
  • Speciation requires reproductive isolation.
  • Occupying new environments can provide new selection pressures and new opportunities, leading to speciation.
  • Science does not prove or conclude; science is always a work in progress.
Grade Level:9-12
Time:30 minutes
Teacher Background:Explore these links for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson:
Teaching Tips:This article is very advanced and may be appropriate for AP biology. Student learning on this topic may be enhanced by supporting resources and classroom discussion.