Why do organisms evolve?
a
Organisms naturally select traits that help them survive and reproduce.
b
Changes in the environment cause organisms to change.
c
Organisms with traits that help them survive and reproduce in their environment pass on those traits.
d
Organisms make changes to help them survive and reproduce in their environment.
c. Organisms with traits that help them survive and reproduce in their environment pass on those traits. This is known as natural selection, where advantageous traits increase an organism's chance of survival and reproduction, leading to the passing on of those traits to future generations. Over time, this process can lead to the evolution of species.
The correct answer is: c) Organisms with traits that help them survive and reproduce in their environment pass on those traits.
The correct answer is c - Organisms with traits that help them survive and reproduce in their environment pass on those traits.
To understand why organisms evolve, we need to understand the process of natural selection. It is a fundamental mechanism of evolution. Natural selection occurs when individuals with certain advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits onto their offspring. Over time, these beneficial traits become more common in the population, leading to evolutionary changes.
Here's how it works:
1. Variation: Within a population, individuals have different variations in their traits. This variation may be due to genetic differences or environmental factors.
2. Selection Pressure: The environment poses challenges and pressures on the organisms, such as predators, competition for resources, or changes in climate. Some traits may be advantageous in dealing with these pressures, while others may be disadvantageous.
3. Survival and Reproduction: Individuals with traits that give them an advantage in survival and reproduction are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation. This can be because they are better suited to find food, avoid predators, attract mates, or any other factor that increases their reproductive success.
4. Heredity: Offspring inherit traits from their parents, including the advantageous traits that helped their parents survive and reproduce.
5. Evolution: Over time, as more individuals with advantageous traits reproduce, the frequency of those traits increases in the population. This leads to the evolution of the population, as it becomes better adapted to its environment.
So, organisms evolve because natural selection acts upon the heritable variations within a population, favoring traits that enhance an individual's chances of survival and reproduction.