Variation allows some individuals within a population to adapt to the changing environment. Because natural selection acts directly only on phenotypes, more genetic variation within a population usually enables more phenotypic variation. Genetic variation is the presence of differences in sequences of genes between individual organisms of a species. It enables natural selection, one of the primary forces driving the evolution of life.
The synthetic theory of evolution as described by Sewell Wright attempts to explain evolution in terms of changes in gene frequencies. This theory states that a species evolves when gene frequencies changes and the species moves it to a higher level of adaptation for a specific ecological niche. Genetic variation is an important force in evolution as it allows natural selection to increase or decrease frequency of alleles already in the population. Genetic variation is the presence of differences in sequences of genes between individual organisms of a species. It enables natural selection, one of the primary forces driving the evolution of life. Genetic variations that alter gene activity or protein function can introduce different traits in an organism. If a trait is advantageous and helps the individual survive and reproduce, the genetic variation is more likely to be passed to the next generation. Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments. With more variation, it is more likely that some individuals in a population will possess variations of alleles that are suited for the environment. Those individuals are more likely to survive to produce offspring bearing that allele. Variation, in biology, any difference between cells, individual organisms, or groups of organisms of any species caused either by genetic differences or by the effect of environmental factors on the expression of the genetic potentials
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