Question

How would you explain the following statement: "Natural selection acts on populations, not individuals."?

Answer 1

The population of living organisms after a certain period of time adapts to the change. This process of getting adapted is known as natural selection. An individual in a population differs from another and is naturally variable. So some individuals are suited for the change whereas the others are not.

Complete answer:
Natural selection is a continuous phenomenon which occurs in nature. The organisms which get adapted to this change survive whereas the organisms which do not adapt with the change become extinct. The organisms which are naturally selected are reproductively advanced than the other.

During natural selection, the trait which is best suited due to the change remains whereas the other disappears. For example, the peppered moths of England. During the industrial revolution, the dark or the melanic variation increased greatly. Due to pollution. The white were not able to better adapt with the environment so they became more susceptible to predation. This favoured the dark variety. When the pollution got removed from the environment, the white variety thrived.

Thus natural selection Changes the population which favours some kind of variations in individuals eliminating other traits which are not well suited for a population.

Note: The phenotype of an individual is affected by the natural selection. During evolution, the alleles present in the population are affected over time. This leads to a change in genotype. The variation in the trait due to natural selection is inheritable.