What concept suggests changes in the environment led to adaptations in species over time?

The concept that changes in the environment lead to adaptations in species over time is encapsulated in the idea of evolution. Evolution refers to the gradual change in genetic traits of a population over successive generations, often driven by factors such as environmental changes. As environments shift, such as through climate change, availability of resources, or the introduction of new predators, species must adapt to survive and reproduce. This process is shaped through mechanisms like natural selection, wherein traits that confer survival advantages become more common in a population over time.

Natural selection, while crucially important and a key mechanism of evolution, specifically describes how certain traits become favored within a population due to their advantages in a given environment. It is a part of the broader concept of evolution, which involves the entire process of adaptation and change over time in response to a multitude of environmental factors.

Intelligent design proposes that life is too complex to have arisen without the intervention of a higher intelligence, which diverges from the scientific explanation of how species evolve through gradual changes. Catastrophism suggests that sudden, short-lived, and widespread events (like asteroids or massive volcanic eruptions) significantly shape the earth and the species inhabiting it, but it does not account for the gradual changes that also play a significant