Evolution i.e. changes in an organism to adjust to the environment, as suggested by Charles Darwin, is a very slow process that takes place over tens of thousands of generations, over millions of years. However, in bacteria, development of resistance to antibiotics, which is a type of evolution, takes place within our own lifetime. Can you say why it occurs so quickly in bacteria?

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Solution

Evolution occurs quickly in bacteria, as bacteria reproduce faster than other organisms. Some bacteria may reproduce as fast as every 20 minutes, which is half-a-million times faster than humans. This is the reason why bacteria become resistant to antibiotics within our own life time.

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Similar questions

Q. Assertion [A]: Evolution is a continuous process that takes millions of years for speciation.
Reason [R]: During evolution only mutation leads to speciation.

Q. Development of drug resistance in bacteria supports which theory of evolution?

Q. In his theory of natural selection, Charles Darwin suggested "survival of fittest" as basis of organic evolution. The correct explanation for "survival of fittest" is

Select the incorrect statement from the following :
(a) the frequency of certain genes in a population changes over several generations resulting in evolution.
(b) reduction in the weight of an organism due to starvation is genetically controlled
(c) low weight parents can have heavyweight progeny
(d) traits which are not inherited over generations do not cause evolution.

Consider the following statements relating to evolution and answer the question.

(i) Organisms are products of a history of descent with modification.
(ii) Characteristics acquired by an organism during its lifetime are inherited by its offspring.
(iii) The goal of evolution is to adapt organisms to the environment.
(iv) Evolutionary change is brought about by natural selection.

The theory of evolution presented in Darwin's "The Origin of Species" depended on what combination of these statements?

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