Energy flows from the sun. All organisms are part of webs that depend on one another for energy and raw materials. All organisms are made of the same materials and function according to the same laws of energy. Yet there is much diversity, a fact that has led humans to develop classification schemes 1. Variations in hereditary instructions arise through mutations.
Many mutations are harmful.
Some may be harmless or even beneficial. An adaptive trait is any trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce under a given set of environmental conditions. B. Evolution 1. The frequencies of genes and the effects they cause can change over time. Evolution is the change that characterizes populations through successive generations.