Which statement accurately describes the impact of natural selection?

The chosen statement highlights a fundamental principle of natural selection, which is that it favors the survival and reproduction of organisms that are best adapted to their environment. This means that individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass those traits on to the next generation. This process enhances the overall fitness of the population and enables adaptation to changing environmental conditions over time.

Natural selection operates on existing variations within a population, leading to an increase in the prevalence of favorable traits while less advantageous traits may diminish over generations. This dynamic is crucial for the evolution of species as it promotes traits that enhance the likelihood of survival in a specific habitat or ecological niche.

The other statements do not accurately capture the essence of natural selection's impact. For example, favoring unfavorable traits would contradict the basic premise of natural selection, which is to enhance the fitness of a population. Moreover, the idea that natural selection leads to uniformity of species overlooks the fact that it actually promotes diversity by allowing a range of adaptations to coexist within an ecosystem. Lastly, while natural selection can influence the genetic makeup of a population, it does not inherently restrict genetic diversity; rather, it shapes it by selecting for advantageous traits among existing variations.