What is an environmental selection pressure?

An environmental selection pressure is defined as a factor that influences the survivability of a species. This involves various external conditions that can affect an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in its environment. Factors such as climate change, availability of resources, predator-prey relationships, disease, and habitat changes all act as selection pressures by determining which individuals are more likely to survive and pass their genes onto the next generation.

When specific traits offer advantages in a particular environment—like better camouflage, resistance to disease, or increased efficiency in resource use—those traits become more common in the population over generations through the process of natural selection. Hence, understanding environmental selection pressures is crucial in the study of evolution and biodiversity, as they are integral to shaping the adaptations and evolutions of species over time.