Evolution can be defined simply as a change in gene (allele) frequency in a population. Evolution can occur due to selection for or against certain traits due to how they interact with the environment (natural selection), due to random events like natural disasters or bottlenecks (drift), or gene flow between populations (migration).
In order for evolution to occur, heritable variation for the trait being investigated must be present in a population. In the situation...
Evolution can be defined simply as a change in gene (allele) frequency in a population. Evolution can occur due to selection for or against certain traits due to how they interact with the environment (natural selection), due to random events like natural disasters or bottlenecks (drift), or gene flow between populations (migration).
In order for evolution to occur, heritable variation for the trait being investigated must be present in a population. In the situation that you have presented, some beetles have progeny of low birth weight while others may have progeny of average birth weight and still others may have progeny of high birth weight. There is likely variation in birth weight of the progeny of these beetles. However, in order for evolution of the trait to occur, the propensity to produce beetles of smaller size must be heritable--capable of being passed on (genetically) to offspring so that the trait can be transmitted from generation to generation. In your case, you did not specify that the low birth weight was due to a genetic change. More likely, the low birth weight was environmentally-induced. If the low birth weight was due to lack of nutrition obtained by the mother prior to egg-laying, then the trait was environmental rather than genetically caused and, therefore, cannot be passed on to the next generation.
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