A heritable trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its current environment is given a specific name. What is that name?
AA mutation event
BAn adaptation
CA vestigial part
DA homologous part
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. An adaptation
1. A heritable trait that helps survival and reproduction in the present environment is called an adaptation.
2. The webbed feet of platypuses and the snow leopard's thick fur are both examples of adaptations to a specific environment.
3. A mutation is a change in DNA that may or may not become an adaptation, so the two terms are not interchangeable.
4. Vestigial and homologous structures are separate evidence categories for evolution, not the general term for a helpful heritable trait.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 18 "Evolution and the Origin of Species", section Processes and Patterns of Evolution_
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