Which of the Following Points is Not Part of the Theory

Question

Which of the following points is not part of the theory of natural selection?
A) Under ideal conditions, all populations can grow exponentially if all individuals survive and reproduce.
B) As environmental resources become limited, some individuals within a population are more likely to reproduce than others.
C) Individuals within a population are not genetically identical.
D) Those with a genetic makeup that results in the best adaptation to a particular set of environmental conditions are those most likely to reproduce. They will then pass on genes for these adaptations to their offspring.
E) Specific environmental conditions can cause specific favorable mutations to occur, resulting in better adaptation to those environmental conditions.

Accepted Answer

The theory of natural selection does not suggest that specific environmental conditions cause specific favorable mutations. Instead, mutations occur randomly, and natural selection acts on the variation within a population, favoring those individuals whose mutations happen to confer an advantage in a given environment.