Question

Give five points to show the significance of variation?

Answer 1

Hint: Variations refer to the development of changes in the gene pool of a population of the genotype of a particular organism in due course of time, giving it better adaptability in the changing environment.

Complete answer: Variations refer to the changes that are seen in the case of the genetic makeup of an organism. Variations in organisms arise due to the sexual reproduction and ensure the natural selection of the individual and in turn make the organism better adapted to the environment.

Variations pose many advantages to the population, the following are a few of the advantages of variations –
1. Variations enable better adaptation of an organism in the changing environmental condition.
2. In the case of plants and animals, they help in disease resistance.
3. Variations improve the chances of survival of a particular species on the onset of unfavorable conditions.
4. Variations in organisms give rise to the development of new and better fit species in the environment, when two species mate with one another and show interspecific hybridization, they further give rise to genetic variation and hence the formation of new individuals.
5. Variation is the major source of species and environmental evolution wherein the more fit organisms replace the less fit organism from the environment they were earlier sharing.

Note: It should be noted that variations have a lot of advantages on the population but these advantages are only based on the principle of natural selection and survival of the fittest in the environment. The variations enable the organisms to survive the changing environment and are hence considered to be important.