Final answer:
The process by which the forms most fit to survive and reproduce in a specific environment do so in greater numbers is known as natural selection. This evolutionary mechanism favors individuals with advantageous traits, allowing them to pass their genes on to future generations, thereby shaping the population over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The name for the process by which the forms most fit to survive and reproduce in a specific environment do so in greater numbers than other individuals in a population is known as natural selection. This process ensures that those with favorable traits for an environment are the ones most likely to survive, reproduce, and hence pass on their genes. The environment plays a significant role in determining which traits are favorable, thereby exerting a selective pressure that encourages certain organisms to thrive over others, such as when Darwin's finches developed beak sizes that matched the availability of different-sized seeds in their environment.
It is crucial to understand that although natural selection can impact individuals, its effects are observed at the population level. Over time, the traits of the most fit individuals become more common within a population, leading to an evolution of the species. This process of natural selection is also echoed in the artificial selection carried out by breeders of domestic animals who select for desirable traits over generations, as originally proposed by Charles Darwin.
However, it is also noted that sometimes the least fit organisms also manage to thrive and reproduce, showing that natural selection can have complex outcomes. Despite this, the core principle remains that individuals most adapted to their environment are generally more likely to survive and pass their advantageous traits to the next generation.