Which term describes a characteristic that improves an organism's ability to survive in its environment?

• A. Adaptation
• B. Mutation
• C. Inheritance
• D. Reproduction

Answer: (A)

An adaptation is a trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment. It can be structural, like a beak shape suited to available food; behavioral, such as migrating to favorable seasons; or physiological, like mechanisms to cope with extremes. These traits arise from genetic variation and become more common over generations because individuals with the helpful trait leave more offspring through natural selection.

Mutations are random changes in DNA, and while some can be beneficial, they’re not by themselves a description of a trait that improves survival. Inheritance refers to how traits are passed from parents to offspring, not to the usefulness of a trait. Reproduction is the process of producing offspring, which spreads genes but doesn’t define a specific survival-enhancing trait.