Which term refers to a characteristic that increases an organism’s fitness in a particular environment?

Which term refers to a characteristic that increases an organism’s fitness in a particular environment?

• A. Natural selection
• B. Adaptation
• C. Evolution
• D. Competition

Answer: (B)

An adaptation is a heritable trait that increases an organism’s fitness in a particular environment. It’s any feature that helps with surviving or reproducing where the organism lives, such as a beak shape that fits available food or insulation for cold climates. Natural selection is the process by which individuals with advantageous adaptations are more likely to survive and reproduce, causing those traits to become more common over generations. Evolution refers to the broader change in allele frequencies in a population over time, of which adaptation is a specific outcome. Competition describes interactions for limited resources and can influence how well an adaptation pays off, but it isn’t itself a trait. So the term for the characteristic that increases fitness is adaptation.

An adaptation is a heritable trait that increases an organism’s fitness in a particular environment. It’s any feature that helps with surviving or reproducing where the organism lives, such as a beak shape that fits available food or insulation for cold climates. Natural selection is the process by which individuals with advantageous adaptations are more likely to survive and reproduce, causing those traits to become more common over generations. Evolution refers to the broader change in allele frequencies in a population over time, of which adaptation is a specific outcome. Competition describes interactions for limited resources and can influence how well an adaptation pays off, but it isn’t itself a trait. So the term for the characteristic that increases fitness is adaptation.