What are adaptations?

• A. Random mutations with no effect on survival
• B. A behavior that is learned only in captivity
• C. Short-term changes in the weather
• D. Changes in physical structure, function, or behavior that allow an organism or species to survive and reproduce in a given environment

Answer: (D)

Adaptations are changes in an organism’s physical structure, how its body functions, or its behavior that help it survive and reproduce in a particular environment. These traits can be structural, like a feature that aids feeding or protection; physiological, like body processes that conserve water or regulate temperature; or behavioral, like migration or mating rituals that improve chances of survival. This description matches changes that allow an organism or species to survive and reproduce in a given environment. The other options describe ideas that aren’t inherited traits that enhance survival in nature: mutations that don’t affect survival, learned behavior that isn’t passed down, or short-term weather changes, which aren’t adaptations of the organism.