Which term best describes the process by which organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic information to succeeding generations?

• A. Natural Selection
• B. Artificial Selection
• C. Evolution
• D. Theory

Answer: (A)

Natural selection is the process by which individuals with traits that help them survive and reproduce are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation. In any environment, those advantageous traits give some organisms a better chance of staying alive, finding mates, and producing offspring, so their genes become more common in the population over time. Over many generations, this leads to adaptations that fit the environment.

For example, if camouflaged coloration helps avoid predators, individuals with that trait tend to survive longer and leave more offspring, gradually increasing the trait’s frequency in the population. This is the mechanism that can drive evolution.

Artificial selection, on the other hand, is when humans intentionally breed organisms for specific traits. Evolution refers to the broader pattern of genetic changes in populations over time, which natural selection can cause. A theory is a well-supported explanation of phenomena, not the process itself.