Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated August 2025
Definition
Selective pressures are environmental factors that influence which individuals within a population are more likely to survive and reproduce. These pressures can include competition for resources, predation, disease, or climate change.
Natural selection: The process by which certain heritable traits become more common in a population over time due to differential reproductive success.
Adaptation: A trait or characteristic that increases an organism's chances of survival and reproduction.
Evolutionary arms race: A pattern of coevolution between two species where each species evolves traits and strategies to outcompete the other.