Final answer:
An adaptation is a heritable trait that increases an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment, such as the cheetah's speed for catching prey.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic possessed by an organism that enhances its survival and ability to reproduce in a specific environment is known as an adaptation. An adaptation is a genetically based trait that evolves because it helps living things to survive and reproduce within their environment. For example, the variations in finch beaks have shifted from generation to generation providing adaptation to food availability, and the cheetah's fast speed is an adaptation for catching prey.