Science (086) — AI-generated practice question

DNA copying during reproduction is not perfectly accurate, leading to variations in some individuals. These variations may be harmful or neutral to the individual carrying them, but become beneficial to the species when the environment changes.

Example: A population of bacteria lives in temperate water. Global warming raises the water temperature — most bacteria die. However, a few individuals with a variation making them heat-resistant survive and reproduce. The individual without the variation dies, but the species survives through the variant individuals.

Thus, variation is useful for the survival of the species over time, even though it offers no guaranteed benefit to every individual organism.

Source: Chapter 7, Section 7.1.1 — The Importance of Variation

---

• Examiners expect you to clearly distinguish between individual and species — this is the core of the question.
• The bacteria + global warming example is directly from the textbook — always use it here; it scores full marks.
• Three marks typically map to: (1) what variation is / how it arises, (2) why it may not help the individual, (3) how it benefits the species with an example.
• Avoid vague statements like "variation is good" — be specific about survival under changed conditions.