Anthropology (ANTH) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The term that describes the processes through which organisms adapt to environmental stresses is "Adaptation." This concept refers specifically to the various ways in which an organism adjusts to its environment over time, enabling it to enhance its chances of survival and reproduction under different conditions. Adaptation can take place through physiological changes, behavioral modifications, or structural alterations in response to environmental stressors.

In contrast, biological evolution refers to the broader, gradual change in the genetic makeup of populations over generations due to mechanisms like natural selection, genetic drift, and mutation. While adaptation is a component of biological evolution, it specifically addresses how individual organisms modify their traits in response to immediate environmental challenges rather than long-term evolutionary changes.

Cultural transmission pertains to the way in which cultural knowledge, beliefs, and practices are passed from one individual or generation to another, which does not directly relate to the biological responses to environmental stress.

Ecological resilience focuses on the capacity of an ecosystem to respond to disturbances and maintain its basic structure and functionality, rather than on individual organisms adapting to those stresses.

Thus, adaptation is the most precise term for the processes of adjustment that organisms undergo in reaction to environmental factors, illustrating the intricate relationships between species and their habitats.