Microorganisms have adapted to nearly every environment through the process of:

• A. conjugation
• B. photosynthesis
• C. natural selection
• D. binary fission

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the question is asking about the process by which microorganisms adapt to various environments.
2. Review the options: conjugation, photosynthesis, natural selection, and binary fission, and consider their definitions and roles in microbiology.
3. Recognize that conjugation is a form of genetic exchange between bacteria, which can contribute to genetic diversity but is not the primary process of adaptation.
4. Know that photosynthesis is a metabolic process used by some microorganisms to convert light energy into chemical energy, not a mechanism of adaptation.
5. Identify natural selection as the evolutionary process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring, leading to adaptation over time.