For natural selection to act on a population, there must be
A) variation among members of the population.
B) more offspring born than the environment can support.
C) some members of the population that have greater reproductive success.
D) variation that is heritable.
E) All of the answer choices describe requirements for natural selection.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All of the requirements listed must be present in order for natural selection to occur. Variation provides the raw material for natural selection to work with, and heritability is required for changes to be passed down to future generations. More offspring being born than the environment can support leads to competition within the population, and those individuals that are better adapted will be more successful in reproducing. Over time, those adaptive traits will become more common in the population as a result of natural selection.

For Natural Selection to Act on a Population, There Must