What leads to new environments via natural selection?

The correct choice emphasizes the role of evolutionary adaptation in leading to new environments through natural selection. Evolutionary adaptation refers to the process by which species undergo changes over generations as they develop traits that better suit them to their environments. These traits can arise from variations in genetic make-up, and when certain characteristics improve survival and reproductive success, those traits become more common in the population over time.

As species adapt to their environments, they can exploit new ecological niches, resulting in diversification and the emergence of new environments. For instance, a population of birds might evolve beak shapes that allow them to access different food sources following changes in available flora. This adaptation is inherently linked to natural selection, where environmental pressures filter traits that enhance survival.

While other factors like genetic modification, population migration, and environmental change play roles in biodiversity and species distribution, they do not directly represent the adaptive process through which traits evolve in response to survival challenges within a specific environment. Genetic modification typically refers to human-induced changes, population migration discusses the movement of individuals and does not inherently imply adaptation, and environmental change can initiate the process but is not the process of evolution itself. Therefore, evolutionary adaptation is the most accurate answer regarding new environments via natural selection.