<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype . It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations . Charles Darwin popularised the term "natural selection", contrasting it with artificial selection, which is intentional, whereas natural selection is not . </P> <P> Variation exists within all populations of organisms . This occurs partly because random mutations arise in the genome of an individual organism, and offspring can inherit such mutations . Throughout the lives of the individuals, their genomes interact with their environments to cause variations in traits . The environment of a genome includes the molecular biology in the cell, other cells, other individuals, populations, species, as well as the abiotic environment . Because individuals with certain variants of the trait tend to survive and reproduce more than individuals with other, less successful variants, the population evolves . Other factors affecting reproductive success include sexual selection (now often included in natural selection) and fecundity selection . </P>

Who came up with the process of natural selection