Is natural selection the means for evolution?

Answer 1

Yes.

Example:

Two zebras are running away from a lion. Zebra A has harder hooves than Zebra B, and therefore Zebra A can run faster. Since Zebra B is slower, it eventually gets caught by the lion. Zebra A then goes on to reproduce, passing his hard hoof gene down to his young. Following this pattern, eventually all zebras would have hard hooves. This is an example of natural selection resulting in evolution.

Answer 2

No. Mutation, genetic drift and gene flow are also engines of evolutionary change. Natural selection is the only force for adaptive change and speciation, perhaps aside from endosymbiosis and a few other modern ideas.

Answer 3

"Natural Selection" is the ability of a species to survive and, subsequently, to have offspring. This ability to survive depends greatly on the environment they are in and its ability to adapt to rapid changes in this environment. For example, the availability of food, the existence of predators, the temperature, etc.

"Natural Selection" is often wrongly described as "the survival of the strongest". Though strength of a species can be a factor regarding survival and breeding particularly when strong predators are around, it is not the only factor which determines survival. For example, a lion is clearly stronger than a mouse yet when temperatures drop ('the environment') a mouse is more likely to survive given its smaller exposure to the cold, its need for smaller quantities of food and its ability to dig a warm hole in the ground to stay in.

Answer 4

Not the only means, consider drift and flow, but it is the only driver of the evolutionary complexity of adaption we see around us.

Answer 5

No. Sexual selection ( a form of natural selection ), mutation, genetic drift and gene flow are also mechanisms of evolution. Still, natural selection is the main driver of adaptive change.

Answer 6

Natural selection is not only a mechanism of evolution it is the driver of adaptive change.