Final answer:
Natural selection allows for the selective passing of traits that enable organisms to better adapt in their environment and is the main driver behind adaptive evolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Which statement accurately describes natural selection? The correct answer is b) Natural selection allows for the selective passing of traits. Natural selection is a key mechanism of evolution and can be defined as the process by which organisms with traits that better enable them to adapt to their environment tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers, while those with less advantageous traits are less likely to survive and reproduce. This results in the adaptive evolution of species over time.
Natural selection does not ensure that 100% of beneficial traits are passed on to the next generation, it does not randomly select traits, nor does it only occur in controlled environments. Instead, it acts on the phenotype of the individuals within a population, favoring those who are more fit for survival and reproduction in a given environment. Through this process, beneficial heritable traits become more common in the population over successive generations.