Final answer:
Natural selection is the process by which organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to changes in the traits of a population over time. Examples of natural selection include the Galápagos finches and the peppered moth in England.
Step-by-step explanation:
Natural selection is the process by which organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to changes in the traits of a population over time. One example of natural selection is seen in the Galápagos finches, where during a period of high rainfall, small-billed finches had an advantage because there was an abundance of small, soft seeds available for them to eat. As a result, the average beak size of the finch population decreased over time as smaller-billed birds had more offspring.
Another example of natural selection is the peppered moth in England. Prior to the industrial revolution, the majority of peppered moths had light-colored wings, which helped them blend in with light-colored tree bark. However, as industrial pollution darkened the tree bark, dark-colored moths had a better chance of surviving because they were less visible to predators. Over time, the proportion of dark-colored moths in the population increased.