Flexi Says: An adaptation is an inherited trait that gives an organism fitness in a particular environment. Adaptations may include structural, physiological, or behavioral traits that improve an organism's likelihood of survival and reproduction. Adaptations evolve at the population level by natural selection, and thus adaptation is a mechanism by which species adapt to their environments. Individual organisms respond to their environments, too, although individuals cannot evolve adaptations. When any living organism gets thrown off balance by conditions in the environment, its body or cells help it return to normal. In other words, living organisms have the ability to keep a stable internal environment. Maintaining a balance inside the body or cells of organisms is known as homeostasis.
