The Meaning :)

N

Overproduction
-  Where a species produces more offspring than can survive or an environment 
    can support, thus allowing the most fit to live and reproduce. 
   
- The illustration depicts the same species constantly being conceived in a line 
   that doesn’t end to show this concept of overproducing.

A

Competition
- Offspring must compete amongst one another for the limited resources such as 
   shelter and food. They fight in order to survive and only a small number live long 
   enough to reproduce. 

   I’ve decided to illustrate this concept through two organisms dueling it out quite 
   literally for their survival with swords haha.

T

Mating
- The process of two organisms coming together and conceiving the next 
   generation, performed with either opposite sex organisms.
   Necessary predecessor for determining fitness. 

- The illustration included two ‘parents’ mating and conceiving children through 
   the process of internal fertilization. Each ‘parent’ is represented through the 
   male or female symbol in their eye. 

U

Fitness
- Serves as a measure of reproductive success based on the number of offspring a 
  generation produces in relation to another species, also reflects how well a 
  species has acclimated to an environment. 
- I chose to depict this by illustrating a series of dead organisms and one living 
  organism to show how the one surviving had a better fitness since they have 
  survived.

R

Disruptive Selection
- A form of natural selection where a single curve splits into two; occurs when 
  individuals at the top and bottom of a distribution curve have higher fitness than 
  those near the middle.

- I made an illustration where it used tail length as an example. Showing how a 
  short tail can save one from predators and a long tail is good for balance on 
  trees, but medium tails are useless leaving you dead. 

S

Adaptations
A biological mechanism where organisms adjust to new environments or to changes in their current environment. These changes can benefit an individual  in regards to surviving and the longevity of their species.
The illustration shows a series of creatures learning that without the necessary adaptation they will die so the start of the line displays the organism plainly, then dead, then covered in armor (they adapted).

L

Speciation
- The process within evolution that leads to the formation of new, distinct species 
  that are reproductively isolated from one another. Overtime creating a bigger, 
  more diverse pop.

- I have illustrated a sort of family tree-map that displays the evolving of a 
  common species, but producing distinct ones with differing features.

E
Phenotype/Feature
- The observable physical characteristics that are impacted by both genotype and 
  an individual’s environment. Usually adaptations involving the phenotype, better 
  fitness. These are both aesthetic and functional adaptations.

- I chose to illustrate a species with different physical characteristics (varied 
  shaped features), yet all still sharing a common base so they weren’t an entirely 
  different species.

C

Genotype/Gene
- The genetic makeup of an organism, describing their entire genes where it refers 
  to characteristics caused by genetics rather than because of the environment. 

- Illustrated this by showing DNA coming out and making up a chromosome since 
  that is the genetic constitution of an individual. This determines the genes 
  passed down from parent to offspring over generations.

 

I

Environment
- A species's environment plays a crucial role in natural selection where a 
   consistent shelter can allow for necessary adaptations to be given to each 
   generation.  

- This illustration very simply defines an environment in which these creatures will 
   inhabit and evolve in. A sedentary environment is ideal. 

O

Evolution
- The change of heritable traits in a species over generations, based on the theory 
   that all species are related and gradually change overtime. 

- The illustration depicts a cycle of life as it follows one creature evolving and 
   ultimately dying(then it restarts).