What is the definition of "fitness" in terms of evolution?
Correct answer: D. The ability of an organism to contribute its genes to future generations
- A. The organism's ability to attain resources while in competition with other organisms of its species
- B. The organism's ability to attract the most mates
- C. The organism's health
- D. The ability of an organism to contribute its genes to future generations
Explanation
In terms of evolution, fitness is a measure of how well an organism is able to survive and reproduce in its environment. The more offspring an organism produces, the more likely its genes are to be passed on to the next generation. This means that the ability of an organism to contribute its genes to future generations is the best measure of its fitness.
Last updated
About Evolution
Evolution describes heritable change in populations over generations through variation, natural selection and adaptation. Lamarckism explains inheritance of acquired characteristics, while Darwinism explains selection of favourable inherited variations; these historical explanations must not be confused with the modern genetic account of evolutionary change.
Practise Evolution
814 free Evolution MCQs from Biology, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Exams that ask Biology questions like this
Biology is on 6 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.
Related questions
A change in the frequency of alleles that occurs by chance is called:
A gas absent during the pre-biotic environment was:
A gene pool is disturbed by which of the following?
A group of interbreeding individuals
A group of interbreeding individuals belonging to a particular species and sharing a common geographic area is called: