Evolution and Natural Selection
As all organisms did, the sea urchin species has gone through natural selection to become the organism it is today. Natural selection is when a mutation occurs that benefits the organism and is passed on to offspring. For example, the purple sea urchin evolved from a species with a smooth outside, but when a mutation occurred that caused a rough outside surface, it helped the organism survive. The rough surface eventually adapted into spikes through natural selection. This development of organisms over time is called evolution. There is a lot of evidence that proves the theory of evolution; For example, similar bone structures of fossils to species today and vestigial structures. This page of the website shows the path of evolution of the purple sea urchin and its taxonomy.
Taxonomy of a Purple Sea Urchin:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Echinodermata
- Class: Echinoidea
- Order: Echinoida
- Family: Strongylocentrotidae
- Genus: Strongylocentrotus
- Species: Strongylocentrotus purpuratus