Each species competes for food, living space, and the other necessities of life.

Each species competes for food, living space, and the other necessities of life.

• A. Evolution
• B. Fitness
• C. Adaptation
• D. Struggle for Existence

Answer: (D)

Competition for resources is a fundamental pressure shaping how populations survive. In any environment, food, living space, and other necessities are limited, so individuals within a species must compete to obtain what they need. This ongoing contest to secure scarce resources is described as the struggle for existence. It’s this pressure that leads to differential survival and reproduction, because some individuals, by chance or due to advantageous traits, are better at obtaining resources and avoiding threats, and thus leave more offspring. Over time, these differences contribute to evolutionary change. The other terms are connected but describe different aspects: evolution is the long-term genetic change in a population, fitness is the amount of reproductive success, and adaptation is a trait that improves survival or reproduction.

Competition for resources is a fundamental pressure shaping how populations survive. In any environment, food, living space, and other necessities are limited, so individuals within a species must compete to obtain what they need. This ongoing contest to secure scarce resources is described as the struggle for existence. It’s this pressure that leads to differential survival and reproduction, because some individuals, by chance or due to advantageous traits, are better at obtaining resources and avoiding threats, and thus leave more offspring. Over time, these differences contribute to evolutionary change. The other terms are connected but describe different aspects: evolution is the long-term genetic change in a population, fitness is the amount of reproductive success, and adaptation is a trait that improves survival or reproduction.