Question

In the Darwinian sense, \(\_\_\_\_\_\_\) refers to the ability of an organism to survive and produce a large number of fertile offspring.

• A. Selection
• B. Intersexual competition
• C. Evolution
• D. Fitness
• E.

Hint:

Fitness in evolutionary biology measures an organism's reproductive success and survival in its environment.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

In Darwinian terms:
1. Fitness refers to an organism's ability to survive in its environment and produce a large number of fertile offspring.
2. It is a key concept in natural selection, where organisms with higher fitness are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation.
Incorrect options:
- (A) Selection: Refers to the process driving evolution but does not directly define the ability to produce offspring.
- (B) Intersexual competition: Refers to competition between individuals of the same species for mates.
- (C) Evolution: Refers to the change in genetic composition over generations, but fitness is a component of this process.
Thus, the correct answer is (D) Fitness.