AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Organisms with heritable (genetically determined) features that help them survive and reproduce in a particular environment tend to leave more offspring than their peers. If this continues over generations, the heritable features that aid survival and reproduction will become more and more common in the population.

Detailed explanation-2: -An adaptation is any heritable trait that helps an organism, such as a plant or animal, survive and reproduce in its environment.

Detailed explanation-3: -Natural selection and evolution Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains how the change of genetic variation over time within a species allows some individuals to be better suited to their environmental pressures, finding suitable mates, and/or finding food sources than others.

Detailed explanation-4: -Genetic variations that alter gene activity or protein function can introduce different traits in an organism. If a trait is advantageous and helps the individual survive and reproduce, the genetic variation is more likely to be passed to the next generation (a process known as natural selection).