Final answer:
Differential reproductive success in the context of natural selection means that some individuals with advantageous traits have a higher reproductive rate than others, leading to the prevalence of these traits in future generations.
Step-by-step explanation:
In order for traits to evolve by natural selection, individuals must experience differential reproductive success. This means that within a given population, some individuals will produce more offspring than others.
This differential success is often due to variations in the individuals' traits that confer certain advantages for survival and reproduction within their specific environmental context.
Natural selection relies on genetic variation within a population. When environmental pressures (like predators or food scarcity) are present, individuals with traits that better suit them to these conditions are more likely to survive and have more offspring.
Over time, these advantageous traits become more common in the population, leading to evolution on a population level.
For example, if a certain coloration allows a rabbit to blend in with its environment more effectively, it may evade predators more successfully than rabbits without this trait, thus having more opportunity to reproduce.
Consequently, the camouflage trait can become more prevalent in the rabbit population. Such adaptations are essential for the processes and patterns of evolution.