Differential reproductive success drives natural selection from "summary" of The Red Queen by Matt Ridley
In the grand sweep of life, the one constant is change. Evolution is a ceaseless dance of adaptation and competition, a never-ending struggle for survival. The driving force behind this relentless process is the differential reproductive success of individuals. The individuals who are better adapted to their environment, who possess advantageous traits that allow them to survive and reproduce, will pass on those traits to their offspring. Natural selection is the mechanism through which these advantageous traits spread throughout a population. Those individuals with characteristics that enhance their chances of survival will be more likely to reproduce and pass on those traits to the next generation. Over time, this process leads to the gradual accumulation of beneficial traits within a population, as individuals with these traits outcompete those without them. In this way, natural selection acts as a filter, allowing only the most well-adapted individuals to pass on their genes. It is a relentless process, constantly s...
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