LIFE SCIENCE

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: -The phrase ‘survival of the fittest’ is often incorrectly attributed to Darwin. In fact, it was coined by the philosopher Herbert Spencer in response to reading Origin of Species five years after the first edition was published.

Detailed explanation-3: -In the theory of natural selection, organisms produce more offspring than are able to survive in their environment. Those that are better physically equipped to survive, grow to maturity, and reproduce.

Detailed explanation-4: -The correct option is D reproductive fitness. Darwin’s fitness refers only to reproductive fitness. It is the capacity of a variant type of organism to invade and displace the resident population in competition for the available resources.