Skip navigation
Go to home page > Our Work > Educational resources > Basic concepts in genetics
Science Evolution and genetics

Basic concepts in genetics

Galapagos marine iguana
Marine iguana, San Cristobal
© Francis Glassup

Introduction

Learning objectives

  • To know that heredity is the process by which genetic information is transmitted from one generation to the next.
  • To understand that genetic variation between individuals within a species can be due to inherited or environmental variation.
  • To understand how the double helix is formed.

Students’ outcomes

  • To explain how individual variation can be due to inherited or environmental forces.
  • To explain how the double helix is formed.

Related articles

Aldabra giant tortoise on a beach in the Seychelles
13th Jun 2025
Evolution and genetics Island restoration

Aldabra and Galapagos giant tortoises: A shared evolutionary story

We take a look at the parallel histories of Aldabra and Galapagos giant tortoises, and the ways in which both are now helping to restore island ecosystems.
Read more
Española mockingbird
28th May 2025
Evolution and genetics History of Galapagos

On the Origin of Natural Selection Webinar 2025

At our webinar on 27 May, Dr Henry Nicholls discussed the importance of Galapagos to Charles Darwin and the impact that his thinking has had on how we see the Islands today.
Read more
Opuntia on Isabela island
8th Apr 2025
Evolution and genetics Geology

Elemental Galapagos: Birth of an Archipelago

GCT Ambassador and author Dr Henry Nicholls explores the forces that shaped the Galapagos Islands and filled them with life.
Read more
Darwin's finch
28th Mar 2025
Evolution and genetics

Evolution in real time: An interview with Peter and Rosemary Grant

Peter and Rosemary Grant’s long-running study of Darwin’s finches has revealed evolution to be a more dynamic and unpredictable process than Charles Darwin could ever have imagined.
Read more

Get the latest news from Galapagos

Join our mailing list to receive our monthly email newsletter, bringing you the latest news on Galapagos and our work to protect the Islands.

This field is hidden when viewing the form