HS-LS4-2 | Mechanisms of Natural Selection

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Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on using evidence to explain the influence each of the four factors has on number of organisms, behaviors, morphology, or physiology in terms of ability to compete for limited resources and subsequent survival of individuals and adaptation of species. Examples of evidence could include mathematical models such as simple distribution graphs and proportional reasoning.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include other mechanisms of evolution, such as genetic drift, gene flow through migration, and co-evolution.

Assessment

What assessment of HS-LS4-2 might look like on a NY state exam.

Exam Cluster Question
August 2026 Star of the Tide Pool Question 1
June 2026 A Seasonal Strategy for Survival Question 5
Green and Black Frogs Question 11
Buzzy Bees Question 29
Australian Adaptations Question 44
January 2026 Honeybee Behavior and Threats Question 31
Baboon Evolution Question 34
Zebra Coat Patterns Question 43
August 2025 Strategies for Survival in Different Animal Species Question 6
Strategies for Survival in Different Animal Species Question 9
Keratin – A Very Versatile Protein Question 28
Evolutionary Relationships Question 34
June 2025 Drinking Water Is Just The Beginning! Question 7
Heads or Tails? Question 12
Limb Evolution Question 30
Limb Evolution Question 32
Sample clusters (Spring 2024) Dinosaurs-Evolution Question 1

Performance Level Descriptions

PLDs communicate the knowledge and skills expected of students to demonstrate proficiency in each Learning Standard. NYS assessments classify student performance into one of five levels.

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Level 1: Identify the evidence, from those provided, that supports the explanation that evolution is the result of a genetic and/or an environmental factor.
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Level 2: Identify the explanation based on evidence that evolution is the result of genetic and/or environmental factor(s) or justify why the given explanation is correct or incorrect.
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Level 3: Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution can involve: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, and/or (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, and/or (3) competition for limited resources, and/or (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
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Level 4: Construct an explanation based on evidence that the process of evolution primarily results from four factors: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.
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Level 5: Construct an explanation based on evidence obtained from a variety of reliable sources that natural selection is a process leading to biological evolution of a species, primarily caused by four factors: (1) the potential of species to increase in number, (2) the heritable genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for limited resources, and (4) the proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in the environment.

Vocabulary

Terms from the Biology Glossary that come from this standard or from the released exam questions that assess it.

From this standard
  • adaptation
  • behavior
  • claim
  • competition
  • correlation (versus cause)
  • empirical evidence
  • environmental factor
  • evolution
  • gene
  • genetic information
  • genetic variation
  • investigation
  • limited resources
  • migration
  • morphology
  • mutation
  • natural selection
  • physiology
  • population
  • proliferation
  • reproduction
  • reproduction potential
  • resources
  • sexual reproduction
  • species
  • survival
  • trait
  • variation
From released exam questions
Implied by this standard
  • convergent evolution – Aug 2025 Evolutionary Relationships asks why sharks (fish) and marine mammals evolved similar body shapes, without naming the idea.
  • selection pressure (environmental pressure) – implied by "competition for an environment’s limited supply of the resources"

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of HS-LS4-2.

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NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation HS-LS4-2 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices
  • Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
    • Construct an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • LS4.B: Natural Selection
    • Natural selection occurs only if there is both (1) variation in the genetic information between organisms in a population and (2) variation in the expression of that genetic information – that is, trait variation – that leads to differences in performance among individuals.
  • LS4.C: Adaptation
    • Evolution is a consequence of the interaction of four factors: (1) the potential for a species to increase in number, (2) the genetic variation of individuals in a species due to mutation and sexual reproduction, (3) competition for an environment’s limited supply of the resources that individuals need in order to survive and reproduce, and (4) the ensuing proliferation of those organisms that are better able to survive and reproduce in that environment.
Crosscutting Concepts
  • Cause and Effect
    • Empirical evidence is required to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes and effects.
Page contributors: Conrad Richman, Caroline Leonard
Biology | HS. Natural Selection and Evolution
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