Which term describes a change in behavior that helps an organism survive environmental changes?

• A. Structural adaptation
• B. Genetic drift
• C. Migration
• D. Behavioral adaptation

Answer: (D)

A behavioral adaptation describes changes in an organism’s actions that help it survive when its environment changes. This is about how the animal acts—things like becoming nocturnal to avoid heat, altering feeding habits, or changing mating routines in response to seasonal shifts. These behaviors are responses that improve survival or reproduction under new conditions, and they can be learned or instinctual.

Structural adaptations are about physical features, such as a thicker fur coat or a sharper beak, that aid survival. Genetic drift is a random shift in allele frequencies in a population, not a deliberate change in behavior to cope with the environment. Migration refers to moving to a different location, which is a behavior but describes a specific kind of movement rather than the general idea of adjusting behavior to survive environmental changes.

So, the term that fits best is behavioral adaptation.