In natural selection, the survivors tend to have traits that improve what?

• A. Longevity
• B. Increases physical strength
• C. Reproductive success in the given environment
• D. Coloration changes to attract predators

Answer: (C)

Natural selection favors traits that increase reproductive success in the environment where the organism lives. The key idea is that evolutionary success is measured by how many offspring an organism leaves that survive to reproduce. So traits that help an individual find mates, secure resources, avoid predators, or otherwise raise more offspring tend to become more common over generations, because those individuals pass on more of their genes.

Longevity alone isn’t the main driver unless it translates into more offspring. Increased physical strength can be advantageous in some contexts, but it doesn’t guarantee more reproductive success in every environment. Coloration that attracts predators would lower survival and, therefore, reproductive success, making it unlikely to be favored by natural selection.