AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sometimes summed up by the phrase “survival of the fittest, ” natural selection is based on the following principles: In nature, organisms produce more offspring than are able to survive and reproduce.

Detailed explanation-2: -Natural selection is sometimes summed up as “survival of the fittest”. This is true but can be misleading. The word “fittest” does not necessarily refer to physical fitness. Rather, it means how well-suited an organism is to its environment and lifestyle.

Detailed explanation-3: -What does ‘survival of the fittest’ mean? In terms of evolution, an animal that is ‘fit’ is one that is adapted to its environment. This concept is at the core of natural selection, although the term ‘survival of the fittest’ has often been misunderstood and may be best avoided.

Detailed explanation-4: -"Survival of the fittest” is a popular term that refers to the process of natural selection, a mechanism that drives evolutionary change. Natural selection works by giving individuals who are better adapted to a given set of environmental conditions an advantage over those that are not as well adapted.

Detailed explanation-5: -Darwin’s definition of natural selection was deceptively simple: “This preservation of favourable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call Natural Selection” (Darwin 1859).