How do we know what traits and behavior tendencies were passed down mutations and which were adaptations?
Answer Dear Linda, A mutation is any change in the DNA, whether or not it results in a physical change in the organism that has the mutation. An adaptation is a physical change in a species that results in its being more likely to leave offspring to the next generation. The characteristic that might become an adaptation is caused by one or more mutations. Any trait can be one of three evolutionary “flavors”: adaptive – increases the organism’s chances of leaving offspring maladaptive – decreases the organism’s chances of leaving offspring neutral – does not affect the organism’s chances of leaving offspring Which of these a trait is depends on the context of the organism’s environment, but natural selection will favor those with adaptive traits over those with maladaptive traits, meaning that the former will leave more offspring. Eventually, the population will genetically shift to having more genes for the adaptive trait. Human ancestors had many mutations over the millennia, but only
