Adaptations are directly related to evolution as they are the evolutionary process by which organisms become better suited to their habitats through natural selection. Adaptation refers to traits—structural, behavioral, or physiological—that evolve because they enhance an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. These adaptive traits arise because genetic variations that confer advantages are selected for over generations, leading to evolutionary change in the population. In other words, evolution is the broader process of change in the genetic makeup of populations over time, and adaptations are specific changes—traits—that increase an organism's fitness. The accumulation of adaptations through natural selection drives evolution. Without adaptations, evolution would not proceed effectively because organisms would not improve their survival or reproductive success in response to environmental challenges. Moreover, adaptations can be considered the outcomes of evolutionary processes, and the degree to which an organism is adapted is a measure of its evolutionary fitness. Some adaptations arise by co-opting existing traits for new functions (exaptations), and sometimes organisms have pre-adaptations, which make them suited for conditions they have not yet encountered. Therefore, adaptations are both the products and mechanisms of evolution, as they embody the changes that natural selection favors, shaping the diversity and complexity of life over time.
