Explain, using evidence, how variation among individuals of the same species can give some individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing when the environment presents a challenge.
No two individuals of the same species are exactly identical; this is called variation. Among a group of rabbits, some might be a little faster, and their fur might range from very light to very dark. Among a group of plants, some might survive a little more drought than others.
When the environment presents a challenge, individuals whose variation happens to be helpful are more likely to survive and have offspring, passing that helpful variation along. Individuals do not change their own traits during their lifetime to fit the environment; rather, the ones that already have a helpful variation tend to survive and reproduce more.
Mastery looks like: They explain, with a specific example, how an existing variation can help some individuals survive and reproduce better than others in a given environment.
Common stumbles: Believing an individual organism changes its own trait during its lifetime to survive better, rather than understanding that already-varying individuals are affected differently by the environment.