# Natural selection

Individuals with features that suit their environment survive and breed more, passing those features on.

Biology (school) · Part 06: Variation and evolution · Card 3 of 11 · Last updated 2026-10-19

## Analogy

A school sports team where only the fastest keep their place and pass on tips.

## In practice

Dark moths survived better on soot-covered trees in cities because birds could not see them as easily.

## Practice

### Flashcards

- **What is survival of the fittest?** Individuals best suited to their environment survive and reproduce more.

### Interview questions

**Explain how natural selection can lead to evolution.**

- There is variation within a species
- Individuals with helpful features survive and breed
- They pass on the alleles for those features
- Over many generations the population changes

## Questions people ask

### Who came up with the theory of natural selection?

Charles Darwin published it in 1859 in his book On the Origin of Species. Alfred Russel Wallace had reached a similar idea at around the same time. Darwin gathered evidence from his voyage and from studying animals and plants. Today it is supported by fossils and by genetic evidence.

### Does natural selection mean animals choose to change?

No. Animals do not choose or try to change. Mutations create new features by chance. If a feature helps survival, individuals with it are more likely to live and breed, so it becomes more common. The population changes over generations. Individuals do not change their genes.

## Related concepts

- [Evolution](https://studyvisually.com/learn/science/biology-school/biology-school-part-6/biology-school-part-6-concept-5)
- [Variation](https://studyvisually.com/learn/science/biology-school/biology-school-part-6/biology-school-part-6-concept-1)
- [Adaptation](https://studyvisually.com/learn/science/biology-school/biology-school-part-6/biology-school-part-6-concept-4)
- [Speciation](https://studyvisually.com/learn/science/biology-school/biology-school-part-6/biology-school-part-6-concept-6)

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