Final answer:
Natural selection requires conditions such as overproduction of offspring, variation among organisms, selection of favorable adaptations, and favorable adaptations becoming more prevalent over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conditions required for natural selection to occur include:
- Overproduction of offspring: This leads to competition for resources and some individuals do not survive to reproduce.
- Variation among organisms in a population: Differences in traits are necessary for there to be characteristics that can be favored or not by the natural selection process.
- Favorable adaptations selected by nature: These are traits that increase an individual's chances of survival and reproduction in their environment.
- Favorable adaptations building in population over time: As favorable traits are passed on more frequently, they become more common in the population.
However, the following are not conditions for natural selection:
- Same traits among all organisms in a population: This would lead to no variation, and natural selection relies on the presence of different traits.
- Unfavorable adaptations passed on to offspring in larger numbers: Unfavorable adaptations would typically lead to less survival and reproduction, thus getting selected against over time.