Question

1. a major point of understanding natural selection is that not all organisms in a population get to reproduce. consider the term fitness as used in biology. how does this term relate to natural selection?

1. based on your answer above, do organisms with higher fitness mean that they have survived to an advanced age? why or why not?

Explanation:

Question 3

In biology, fitness refers to an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. In natural selection, organisms with higher fitness (better adapted to the environment, so more likely to survive and reproduce) will pass on their genes more successfully. Over time, traits associated with higher fitness become more common in the population as those with lower fitness are less likely to reproduce.

Higher fitness does not mean surviving to an advanced age. Fitness is about reproductive success (passing genes to offspring), not just longevity. An organism could have high fitness by reproducing early and successfully (even if it dies young) if its traits help it survive long enough to reproduce. For example, some insects reproduce quickly and die, but their ability to reproduce (and pass genes) gives them high fitness, even without a long lifespan.

Answer:

In biology, "fitness" is an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. In natural selection, organisms with higher fitness (better adapted to survive and reproduce) are more likely to pass on their genes. Over generations, traits of more fit organisms become more common as less fit organisms reproduce less.

Question 4