Question

Select the option that best finishes the following statement: ""Evolution is a process __________.""

(a) that can be understood based on the principles of mutation and selection.
(b) that results from repeated cycles of adaptation over billions of years.
(c) by which all present-day cells arose from 4-5 different ancestral cells.
(d) that requires hundreds of thousands of years.

Answer 1

Evolution is best understood as a process that involves mutation and selection, with natural selection being a non-random force driving the increased prevalence of advantageous traits in populations over time.

Step-by-step explanation:

Evolution is a change in the characteristics of living things over time, driven predominantly by natural selection and mutation. Natural selection acts on phenotypic variations in populations, promoting traits that increase an organism's survival and reproductive success. Mutations introduce genetic variation, which is essential for evolution to occur. However, unlike mutation, which is a random process, natural selection is not random and increases the frequency of advantageous traits in a population.

Over many generations, this results in organisms with a higher adaptation to their environment and the emergence of new species from common ancestors. While the speed of evolutionary change can vary, it doesn't necessarily require hundreds of thousands of years; it can happen much faster, especially under strong selective pressures or in smaller populations.