Question

Natural selection is a part of evolution of a species. The driving force that leads to evolution within a species is explained by

• A. Individuals within a population change their behavior to accommodate changes in the environment and pass these to offspring.
• B. Individuals within a population develop new adaptations as selective pressures force change.
• C. Individuals within a population find new ways to adapt to environmental pressures.
• D. Individuals within a population use different parts of their body as conditions change and pass those changes to offspring.
• E. Individuals within a population have variations that give those individuals a better chance of survival.

Answer 1

The correct option is E Individuals within a population have variations that give those individuals a better chance of survival.

Genetic variation is an important force in evolution as it allows natural selection to increase or decrease the frequency of alleles already in the population. Genetic variation can be caused by the mutation (which can create entirely new alleles in a population), random mating, random fertilization, and recombination between homologous chromosomes during meiosis (which reshuffles alleles within an organism's offspring). Genetic variation is advantageous to a population because it enables some individuals to adapt to the environment while maintaining the survival of the population.