What is natural selection?

Natural selection is defined as the mechanism by which individuals possessing traits that are favorable for their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce compared to those without such traits. This process operates on the principle that variations in traits can lead to differential survival rates; individuals that are better adapted to their environment tend to leave more offspring. Over time, these advantageous traits become more common in the population, contributing to evolutionary change.

This concept explains how species adapt to their environments and how new species might arise from their ancestral forms, based upon the changes driven by the pressures of the environment. Natural selection plays a crucial role in the evolution of organisms, as it is fundamentally concerned with the interaction between organisms and their environment in terms of survival and reproductive success. Understanding this mechanism is essential for grasping the larger concepts of evolution and how biodiversity develops over time.