Which of the following would best determine the fitness of an organism?
Correct answer: A. Number of offspring produced by the organism
- A. Number of offspring produced by the organism
- B. The overall health and lifespan of the organism
- C. The organism's ability to adapt to environmental changes
- D. The number of offspring produced by the organism
Explanation
In evolutionary biology, fitness is defined as the ability of an organism to survive and reproduce, thereby passing on its genes to future generations. The primary measure of fitness is the number of offspring an organism produces (Option A), as this directly indicates its reproductive success. Option B, focusing on health and lifespan, does not directly measure reproductive success. Option C, related to adaptability, does not directly correlate with the number of offspring. Option D, concerning the reproductive success of the organism's offspring, measures the fitness of the descendants rather than the organism itself.
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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.
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