Natural selection works by favoring individuals in a population that have traits better suited to their environment. These individuals are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those advantageous traits to their offspring. Over generations, this process causes the population to evolve, with favorable traits becoming more common. Key components of natural selection include:
- Variation in traits among individuals.
- Differential survival and reproduction based on those traits.
- Heredity, where advantageous traits are passed to offspring.
For example, in a population of beetles, if brown beetles survive better than green beetles because they are less visible to predators, over time more beetles will be brown since those traits help survival and reproduction. This process is not driven by conscious choice but by environmental pressures that select traits that increase reproductive success.
