Fundamental principles of evolution:

1. the phenothype is different from the genotype
2. acquired characteristics are not inherited
3. genes retain their identity as they pass through the generations; they do not blend with other genes
4. genes mutate to equally stable alternative forms, known as alleles
5. evolutionary change is a populational process
6. the change in genotype proportions within a population can occur by either two processes: random fluctuations in proportions (genetic drift) or random changes due to the superior survival and/or reproduction of some genotypes compared with others (i.e. natural selection). Natural selection and genetic drift can operate simultaneously.
7. natural selection can both account for slight and great differences among species
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13. Speciation is the origin of two or more species from a single common ancestor. Speciation usually occurs by the genetic differentiation of geographically seperatated populations. Because of the geographic segregation, interbreeding does not prevent incipient genetic differences from developing.
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15. All organisms form a great "tree of life", or phylogeny, that has developed by the branching of common ancestors into different lineages, chiefly through speciation.
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