What is the process by which better suited organism survive and reproduce?
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By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Dec 26, 2022 Article History Table of ContentsCharles Darwin:On the Origin of Species See all media Key People:Charles Darwin Alfred Russel Wallace Patrick Matthew Francisco J. Ayala H.W. Bates...(Show more)Related Topics:survival of the fittest adaptation sexual selection group selection Darwinian fitness...(Show more) See all related content → natural selection, process that results in the adaptation of an organism to its environment by means of selectively reproducing changes in its genotype, or genetic constitution. A brief treatment of natural selection follows. For full treatment, see evolution: The concept of natural selection. More From Britannica evolution: The concept of natural selectionIn natural selection, those variations in the genotype (the entire complex of genes inherited from both parents) that increase an organism’s chances of survival and procreation are preserved and multiplied from generation to generation at the expense of less advantageous variations. Evolution often occurs as a consequence of this process. Natural selection may arise from differences in survival, in fertility, in rate of development, in mating success, or in any other aspect of the life cycle. All such differences result in natural selection to the extent that they affect the number of progeny an organism leaves. Gene frequencies tend to remain constant from generation to generation when disturbing factors are not present. Factors that disturb the natural equilibrium of gene frequencies include mutation, migration (or gene flow), random genetic drift, and natural selection. A mutation is a spontaneous change in the gene frequency that takes place in a population and occurs at a low rate. Migration is a local change in gene frequency when an individual moves from one population to another and then interbreeds. Random genetic drift is a change that takes place from one generation to another by a process of pure chance. Mutation, migration, and genetic drift alter gene frequencies without regard to whether such changes increase or decrease the likelihood of an organism surviving and reproducing in its environment. They are all random processes. Natural selection moderates the disorganizing effects of these processes because it multiplies the incidence of beneficial mutations over the generations and eliminates harmful ones, since their carriers leave few or no descendants. Natural selection enhances the preservation of a group of organisms that are best adjusted to the physical and biological conditions of their environment and may also result in their improvement in some cases. Some characteristics, such as the male peacock’s tail, actually decrease the individual organism’s chance of survival. To explain such anomalies, Darwin posed a theory of “sexual selection.” In contrast to features that result from natural selection, a structure produced by sexual selection results in an advantage in the competition for mates. What allows an organism to survive and reproduce more successfully than another organism?Natural selection is a mechanism, or cause, of evolution. Adaptations are physical or behavioral traits that make an organism better suited to its environment. Heritable variation comes from random mutations. Random mutations are the initial cause of new heritable traits.
How well an organism will survive and reproduce?Principles Of Biology (La-Sci)
The ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in its environment is referred to as fitness. High fitness is the term used to describe people who have environmental adaptations that allow them to live and reproduce.
What term defines that only the best suited organisms will survive and reproduce?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.
How an organism is suited to survive in its environment is called?Evolutionary adaptation, or simply adaptation, is the adjustment of organisms to their environment in order to improve their chances at survival in that environment.
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