Describe the process of natural selection

Describe the process of natural selection and its role in driving evolutionary change among populations. Natural selection, a fundamental mechanism of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin, operates on heritable variations within populations, leading to differential reproductive success among individuals. This process occurs in response to environmental pressures, such as predation, competition for resources, or changes in habitat. Individuals with advantageous traits that confer a survival or reproductive advantage are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their favorable traits to subsequent generations. Over time, this cumulative effect results in the gradual adaptation of populations to their environments, as advantageous traits become more prevalent within the gene pool. Natural selection can lead to the emergence of new species through speciation events, where populations diverge and accumulate differences in genetic makeup due to adaptation to different environmental conditions. Thus, natural selection serves as the cornerstone of evolutionary theory, driving the diversity and complexity of life on Earth.