What process explains the survival and reproduction of individuals best suited to their environment?

The process that best explains the survival and reproduction of individuals best suited to their environment is natural selection. This concept, first articulated by Charles Darwin, is a mechanism of evolution whereby organisms that possess favorable traits are more likely to reproduce successfully in their environment. These advantageous traits can vary depending on the environmental context, such as availability of resources, predators, and climatic conditions.

Natural selection operates on the principle that individuals with characteristics that give them a better chance of surviving and reproducing will pass those traits on to the next generation. Over time, this leads to the enhancement of certain traits in a population, shaping the species to become better adapted to their environmental niches.

While adaptation refers to the process through which species come to better fit their environments, it is the mechanism of natural selection that drives this process. Mutation involves changes in the genetic material, and while it provides the variation upon which natural selection acts, it does not specifically explain the survival and reproduction aspect by itself. Evolution is a broader term that encompasses all changes in the gene pool of a population over time, including both natural selection and other factors, making it less specific to the question at hand.