Difference between Adaptation and Natural Selection

The following table lists the difference between Adaptation and Natural Selection:

Parameters

Adaptation

Natural Selection

Definition

The process or characteristic that enables an organism to successfully endure and procreate in its surroundings is referred to as adaptation.

Natural selection is an evolutionary phenomenon in which individuals possessing features that are advantageous to their surroundings are more likely to survive and reproduce than others.

Mechanisms

Can be acquired or inherited.

Driven by the varied ways that different trait creatures survive and reproduce.

Timescale

Happens over several generations or throughout the course of an individual’s lifetime.

Occurs over generations.

Outcome

Organisms more adapted to their surroundings

A population’s increased prevalence of adaptive features over time.

Example

The giraffe’s long neck, the polar bear’s white fur, and humans’ capacity to digest lactose.

Peppered moths, antibiotic-resistant bacteria etc.

Difference Between Adaptation and Natural Selection

Adaptation and Natural Selection are fundamental concepts used in the study of Biology. Natural Selection is a process in which living organisms adapt and change. Adaptation is a process that enables an organism to successfully grow and reproduce in its surroundings. The main differences between Adaptation and Natural Selection are in their mechanisms, timescale, and characteristics. In this article, we will look into the difference between Adaptation and Natural Selection as well as their characteristics.

Table of Content

  • Difference between Adaptation and Natural Selection
  • Adaptation
  • Natural Selection

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Difference between Adaptation and Natural Selection

The following table lists the difference between Adaptation and Natural Selection:...

Adaptation

Adaptation means those organism’s which have ability to grow and reproduce in its environment. It involves the development of traits that improve its chances of surviving and successfully reproducing. Adaptation is basically a dynamic medium through which organisms gradationally transfigure over time in response to their surroundings. These changes can manifest in colorful ways similar as differences in physiology or indeed external appearance. It’s noteworthy that acclimations may either be inherited from former generations or acquired throughout an existent’s continuance due to environmental pressures. Eventually, adaption arises primarily from natural selection acting upon inheritable traits within populations....

Natural Selection

The process known as natural selection plays a vital part in shaping the characteristics of a population. It operates through the medium of favoring individualities with profitable traits, thereby adding their chances of survival and reproductive success within a specific terrain. Again, those lacking similar fitness- enhancing attributes are less likely to survive and reproduce successfully. As time progresses, these favorable traits accumulate and come more current among organisms, eventually rendering them more acclimated to their separate ecological niches. The proposition of elaboration encompasses this abecedarian process while exploring the intricate complications underpinning life’s development on our earth....

FAQ’s – Adaptation and Natural Selection

1. Is Adaptation and Natural Selection the Same?...