Characteristics or behaviors that help organisms survive in their environment.

Characteristics or behaviors that help organisms survive in their environment.

• A. Habitats
• B. Adaptations
• C. Evolution
• D. Physiology

Answer: (B)

Adaptations are the traits and behaviors that help an organism survive and reproduce in its environment. They arise because individuals with useful traits tend to leave more offspring, so over many generations the population becomes better suited to its surroundings. Examples include structural ones like a cactus storing water to endure drought, or a prey animal developing camouflage to avoid predators; behavioral adaptations such as birds migrating to exploit seasonal resources or animals learning to forage at certain times of day. Habitats describe where organisms live, which influences what adaptations are useful, but they are not the traits themselves. Evolution is the broader process by which populations change over time, leading to adaptations, while physiology is about how body systems function, which can underlie adaptations but isn’t the trait or behavior itself.

Adaptations are the traits and behaviors that help an organism survive and reproduce in its environment. They arise because individuals with useful traits tend to leave more offspring, so over many generations the population becomes better suited to its surroundings. Examples include structural ones like a cactus storing water to endure drought, or a prey animal developing camouflage to avoid predators; behavioral adaptations such as birds migrating to exploit seasonal resources or animals learning to forage at certain times of day. Habitats describe where organisms live, which influences what adaptations are useful, but they are not the traits themselves. Evolution is the broader process by which populations change over time, leading to adaptations, while physiology is about how body systems function, which can underlie adaptations but isn’t the trait or behavior itself.