How does natural selection influence animal behavior?

Natural selection plays a crucial role in shaping animal behavior by favoring traits and actions that enhance an individual’s chances of survival and reproduction. Behaviors that contribute to an animal's ability to find food, avoid predators, attract mates, and successfully rear offspring are more likely to be passed on to subsequent generations because individuals exhibiting these beneficial behaviors are more likely to survive and reproduce.

This means that over time, behaviors that improve the fitness of individuals within a population become more prevalent. For example, a bird that aggressively defends its territory may better secure resources and attract mates, thus improving its reproductive success. Similarly, social behaviors that enhance group cohesion can lead to increased survival against predators.

In contrast, the other options suggest either that natural selection has no impact on behavior or that it discourages all behaviors, which overlooks the fundamental role that advantageous behaviors play in the fitness of individuals and populations. The idea that natural selection only improves learned behaviors also fails to recognize that instinctual behaviors, which are not learned but rather innate, can be equally important in the evolutionary context. Thus, it’s clear that natural selection strongly influences behaviors that are beneficial for survival and reproduction.