The best description of the relationship between natural selection and adaptation is:
- The adaptations of a population of organisms are those selected over generations.
Natural selection is the process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more than those that are less well adapted. This leads to the accumulation of adaptations in a population over time, as individuals with beneficial traits are more likely to pass on those traits to their offspring. Consequently, adaptations that enhance survival and reproductive success become more common in a population as they are selected for over generations.
