Which of the following statements are true about 'survival of the fittest' in an evolutionary context? Please select all that apply.

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'Survival of the fittest' refers to reproductive success in a particular environment. The fittest organisms are those that reproduce most successfully. These are not always individuals that live the longest - an individual that dies young but has a large number of surviving offspring is more 'fit' than a long-lived individual that has few offspring. Environments change, and the 'fittest' organisms will therefore be different at different periods of evolutionary time (an example of this is color changes in the peppered moth: see Box 16-5). Therefore, the 'fittest' individuals are not 'improvements' on those in previous generations but are simply the individuals that are most fit for the current environment.

Which of the Following Statements Are True About 'Survival of the Fittest