In natural selection, natural selection acts on ___ but the change over time happens at the __?

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Multiple Choice

In natural selection, natural selection acts on ___ but the change over time happens at the __?

Explanation:
Natural selection acts on individuals because fitness differences are realized in an organism’s survival and reproduction. An individual with a favorable trait leaves more offspring, increasing that trait’s representation in the next generation. But evolution—the gradual change in a population’s inherited makeup over time—occurs at the population level, as allele frequencies shift across many generations. In short, selection targets individuals; the cumulative change shows up in populations.

Natural selection acts on individuals because fitness differences are realized in an organism’s survival and reproduction. An individual with a favorable trait leaves more offspring, increasing that trait’s representation in the next generation. But evolution—the gradual change in a population’s inherited makeup over time—occurs at the population level, as allele frequencies shift across many generations. In short, selection targets individuals; the cumulative change shows up in populations.

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