Final answer:
Natural selection is the force of evolution in which individuals with favorable heritable traits have greater relative survival and reproduction, leading to evolutionary change. It involves the differential reproductive success of individuals in a population due to variations in their inherited traits, resulting in the accumulation or loss of specific traits over generations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Natural selection is the force of evolution in which individuals with favorable heritable traits have greater relative survival and reproduction, leading to evolutionary change. A more accurate definition of natural selection is the differential reproductive success of individuals in a population due to variations in their inherited traits, resulting in the accumulation or loss of specific traits over generations.
For example, consider a population of birds with variations in beak size. If the environment has an abundance of small seeds, birds with small beaks will have an advantage in obtaining food and surviving. As a result, these birds are more likely to reproduce and pass on their small beak trait to the next generation. Over time, the population will have a higher proportion of individuals with small beaks due to natural selection.
In summary, natural selection is the mechanism by which populations of organisms evolve over time, as individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on those traits to future generations.