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Difficulty: MediumEvolution and Adaptation

An individual organism can actively alter its own genetic code in response to environmental stress, producing novel adaptations that are passed on to its offspring through natural selection.

Answer: Answer

Answer

False
The statement is false because biological evolution through natural selection occurs at the population level over generations. Genetic variations arise through random mutations, and individuals cannot deliberately or physiologically rewrite their inherited genome to adapt to environmental pressures.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the core claim regarding how evolutionary adaptations originate.
The statement claims that individual organisms modify their own genetic code during their lifespan to adapt to environmental stress.
It is necessary to determine whether evolutionary adaptation occurs at the individual level during a lifetime or at the population level across generations.
2
Evaluate the mechanism of genetic variation and natural selection.
Mutations occur randomly and prior to selective events; natural selection favors individuals possessing pre-existing beneficial traits, altering allele frequencies in the population over time.
Acquired somatic changes or physiological acclimatizations developed during an organism's lifetime do not alter gametic DNA and cannot be inherited by offspring.
3
Determine the truth value of the statement.
The statement is False.
Evolution by natural selection is a population-level process occurring across generations, not an active genetic modification made by an individual organism.

Key Concept

Population-Level Natural Selection vs. Acquired Characteristics
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Evolution and Adaptation

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