Which process describes how organisms adapt to their environment over time?

Natural selection describes how organisms adapt to their environment over time by favoring individuals that possess traits that enhance their survival and reproductive success in a specific environment. This process occurs through variations in traits among individuals in a population. When these variations result in beneficial characteristics, those individuals are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass those advantageous traits onto the next generation. Over generations, this leads to the gradual evolution of species, making them better suited to their habitats.

While symbiosis involves interactions between different species that can affect survival and adaptation, it does not describe an inherent process by which a single species adapts to its environment over time. Mutations lead to genetic changes, and while they can be a source of variation, they do not inherently describe the adaptive processes themselves. Biogeography, the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems, provides insights into how species distribute over time, but it does not directly explain the adaptive mechanisms through which organisms change in response to their environments.