In the context of evolution by natural selection, what does natural selection favor in a population?

• A. Traits that are acquired during an organism’s lifetime and then passed to offspring
• B. Random changes in allele frequencies regardless of their effects on fitness
• C. Individuals with heritable traits that increase survival and reproductive success in a given environment
• D. Characteristics that benefit the species as a whole, even if they reduce individual reproductive success

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that natural selection acts on heritable traits, meaning traits that can be passed from parents to offspring through genetic information.
2. Recognize that natural selection favors traits that increase an individual's chances of survival and reproduction in a specific environment, thereby increasing the frequency of those traits in the population over time.
3. Distinguish between traits acquired during an organism's lifetime (which are generally not heritable) and genetic traits that are inherited; natural selection does not favor acquired traits unless they affect heritable genetic traits.
4. Note that random changes in allele frequencies without regard to fitness are characteristic of genetic drift, not natural selection.
5. Remember that natural selection favors traits that benefit individual reproductive success, not necessarily traits that benefit the species as a whole if they reduce individual fitness.