Final answer:
Natural selection is the process where advantageous traits increase in frequency. An example is lactose tolerance in Europeans due to a genetic mutation. Culture also played a role as dairy agriculture led to the selection for lactose tolerance.
Step-by-step explanation:
Natural selection is the process where individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to the increase in frequency of those traits in a population over time. An example of natural selection is lactose tolerance in Europeans. Thousands of years ago, a genetic mutation allowed some Europeans to produce lactase, the enzyme that metabolizes lactose in milk. These individuals had an evolutionary advantage, as they could drink milk and obtain its nutrients, leading to the increase in lactose tolerance in the population.
Culture is involved in this example of selection because the development of dairy agriculture culture in Europe also influenced the prevalence of lactose tolerance. The availability of bovine milk as a food source led to the selection for lactose tolerance, as individuals who could drink milk had a better food source and higher fitness. Therefore, both genetic adaptation and cultural practices contributed to the prevalence of lactose tolerance in European populations.