What term describes the process by which a living organism adjusts to its environment?

The term that describes the process by which a living organism adjusts to its environment is adaptation. This concept encompasses the various changes that an organism undergoes in response to environmental challenges or changes in its surroundings. Adaptation can take many forms, including physiological adjustments, behavioral changes, or structural modifications that enhance an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce within its environment.

Adaptation can occur over many generations through the gradual accumulation of beneficial traits, allowing populations to become better suited to their habitats. This process is a key component of evolutionary theory, highlighting the interplay between organisms and their ecological contexts.

In contrast, mutation refers to changes in an organism's DNA that can result in new traits, while natural selection is the mechanism through which certain traits become more common in a population due to their beneficial effects on survival and reproduction. Genetic recombination is a process that occurs during sexual reproduction, leading to new combinations of genes but does not directly describe the broader process of adjusting to environmental conditions. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify why adaptation is the most accurate term for the process of organisms adjusting to their environments.