AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -survival of the fittest, term made famous in the fifth edition (published in 1869) of On the Origin of Species by British naturalist Charles Darwin, which suggested that organisms best adjusted to their environment are the most successful in surviving and reproducing.

Detailed explanation-2: -Someone not familiar with what natural selection really is might take “fittest” to mean the best physical specimen of the species and that only those in the best shape and best health will survive in nature. That isn’t always the case. Individuals that survive aren’t always the strongest, fastest, or smartest.

Detailed explanation-3: -The fittest individual is not necessarily the strongest, fastest, or biggest. A genotype’s fitness includes its ability to survive, find a mate, produce offspring-and ultimately leave its genes in the next generation.

Detailed explanation-4: -Darwinian fitness describes how successful an organism has been at passing on its genes. The more likely that an individual is able to survive and live longer to reproduce, the higher is the fitness of that individual.