What term describes traits or behaviors that improve an individual's ability to survive and reproduce?

• A. Adaptations
• B. Mutations
• C. Behaviors
• D. Traits

Answer: (A)

Adaptations are traits or behaviors that improve an organism’s chances of surviving and reproducing. These features help an organism cope with its environment, like camouflage that hides from predators, a beak shape that better handles available food, or migration to climates with more resources. Through natural selection, individuals with advantageous adaptations leave more offspring, so these traits become more common over generations. Mutations are random genetic changes that create variation and can lead to adaptations, but the term adaptation specifically refers to the beneficial trait or behavior itself. Behaviors can be adaptive as part of an adaptation, while plain traits aren’t guaranteed to improve fitness.