Final answer:
Darwin's theory of natural selection describes how evolution occurs through the survival and reproductive success of individuals with advantageous traits, leading to descent with modification in populations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection offers an explanation for how organisms evolve through the differential survival and reproduction of individuals. Darwin proposed that variation exists among individuals in a population, and those with beneficial traits, or adaptations, that provide a survival advantage are more likely to survive and reproduce. Consequently, these advantageous traits become more common in the population over time, leading to evolution.
Descent with modification is a cornerstone of Darwin's theory, which means that over generations, populations evolve as advantageous traits accumulate. This is in stark contrast to the incorrect notion that natural selection results in populations remaining the same over time. Essentially, natural selection is a mechanism by which evolution occurs, not a result of evolution itself.