Explain the concept of differential reproduction. What factors influence differential reproduction? How are differential reproduction and natural selection actually synonymous terms?
A reproduction differential between two groups of individuals is the state where some individuals have adaptations that favor their chance of passing on their genes while some individuals lack such adaptations. Differential reproduction, then, is the idea the every factor associated with reproduction had several different phenotypic expressions and that some of the expressions of each factor favor individuals' chances to pass on their genes while some of the expressions of each factors are less favorable to individuals' chances to pass on their genes. Factors such as the selection of a mate, the frequency of mating, fertility, the percentage of zygotes that survive to birth, and the percentage of young that survive to reproduce all have different phenotypic expressions within a population. Thus, because expressions of factors that help or deter an individual's reproduction lead to an increase or decrease, respectively, in the frequency of that gene or gene combination, differential reproduction may be said to be synonymous with natural selection.
