Question

explain why a characteristic like this which contributes to a long life, but with few or no offspring would not become more common as a result of evolution by natural selectionexplain why a characteristic like this which contributes to a long life, but with few or no offspring would not become more common as a result of evolution by natural selection

Answer 1

A characteristic contributing to longevity but not to reproductive success is unlikely to be favored by natural selection because evolution tends to favor traits that enhance an organism's ability to reproduce and pass on advantageous genes to offspring.

Step-by-step explanation:

A characteristic that contributes to a long life but results in few or no offspring would not become more common through evolution by natural selection because natural selection favors traits that increase an individual's reproductive success. The fundamental mechanism of natural selection involves the survival and reproduction of individuals with advantageous traits. Traits that confer a survival advantage but do not enhance an organism's ability to have more offspring will not spread through the population. For a trait to become more common, it has to result in a higher number of surviving offspring who can pass on their genes. This is known as heritable fitness, and it requires both survival and reproduction.