In the context of natural selection, which statement best describes the process by which evolution occurs?

• A. Evolution happens because mutations always produce beneficial traits that rapidly spread through a population regardless of the environment.
• B. All individuals in a population have equal reproductive success, so trait frequencies remain constant from one generation to the next.
• C. Individuals with heritable traits that increase survival or reproduction leave more offspring, causing those traits to become more common over generations.
• D. Individual organisms evolve new traits during their lifetimes in response to environmental needs and pass those acquired traits to their offspring.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that natural selection is a process where individuals with certain heritable traits tend to survive and reproduce more successfully than others in a given environment.
2. Recognize that mutations introduce genetic variation, but not all mutations are beneficial; some are neutral or harmful, and their spread depends on environmental context.
3. Note that evolution occurs over generations as the frequency of advantageous heritable traits increases in the population due to differential reproductive success.
4. Clarify that individuals do not evolve during their lifetimes; instead, populations evolve as the genetic composition changes across generations.
5. Conclude that the best description of evolution by natural selection is that individuals with heritable traits that increase survival or reproduction leave more offspring, causing those traits to become more common over time.