Certainly! natural selection and mutations are interconnected. Mutations lead to genetic variation and subsequently to genetic diversity.

Natural selection is a key mechanism in evolution. It occurs when certain traits within a population provide individuals with a reproductive advantage in their environment.

Mutation is another essential evolutionary mechanism. It is the process by which genetic material (DNA) can change, resulting in new genetic variations or alleles.

Mutations introduce genetic diversity into a population. Most mutations are neutral or harmful, but occasionally, they can produce advantageous traits.

Hope it helps.

L.

Dr Loubna Youssar thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Genetic recombination is what guarantees greater benefits to anisogamous sexual reproduction (gametes of different sizes)(Zimmer, 2009), as there are also expected costs such as the problem of finding partners, which is why many plants are hybrids (Lehtonen et al, 2012). I can guarantee that natural selection benefits from gene recombination, and is even more intense in sexual organisms. However, it is sexual selection that really selects the genes for greater qualities in sexual relations (Petrie, 2021, 2022). Take the case of peacocks, for example; They don't give any parental care to their offspring, but they are very ornate and parade their good genes around. Natural selection, however, according to Darwin himself is nothing more than "preservation of detailed variations and exclusion of optional variations" (Darwin, 2019),

A correction to his question: natural selection does not cause adaptation, but rather the organisms that best adapt to environmental requirements are selected based on a greater share of their appropriate genes in the total population. Natural selection is mainly a mechanism of gene conservation and propagation, based on conditions of competition between organisms for resources and the reproduction capacity of individuals. In general, as Dawkins says in "The Extended Phenotype", the phenotype is the way genes are selected by natural selection. Therefore, if an individual has a favorable gene recombination that contributes a very comprehensive and variable phenotype to adapt to other niches, it may, if there is a selection event, be able to survive in these new environmental conditions. Therefore,

I hope this contributed some insights! A big hug!

Dr Bruno Lourenco thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Natural selection requires variation between individuals. Mutations and sexual reproduction increase genetic variation in a population. Natural selection occurs when environmental pressures favor certain traits that are passed on to offspring. The “big prize” in natural selection is passing on genetic information. It can increase the genetic variation in populations by selecting for or against several genes or gene combinations (leading to disruptive se​lection or balancing​g selection). Natural selection might lead to speciation through the accumulation of adaptive genetic differences among reproductively isolated populations.The idea of natural selection is that traits that can be passed down allow organisms to adapt to the environment better than other organisms of the same species. This enables better survival and reproduction compared with other members of the species, leading to evolution. Compared with new mutations, adaptation from standing genetic variation is likely to lead to faster evolution, the fixation of more alleles of small effect and the spread of more recessive alleles. Mutations can introduce new alleles into a population of organisms and increase the population's genetic variation. Nevertheless, most mutations, especially those with phenotypic effects, are harmful and are consequently removed by natural selection. For this reason, under natural selection, an organism will evolve to a lower mutation rate. Permanent adaptation requires a range of genetic variation in absolute fitness that is broad enough to provide a few extreme types capable of sustained growth under a stress that would cause extinction if they were not present. Mutations, the changes in the sequences of genes in DNA, are one source of genetic variation. Another source is gene flow, or the movement of genes between different groups of organisms. Finally, genetic variation can be a result of sexual reproduction, which leads to the creation of new combinations of genes. A gene variant is a permanent change in the DNA sequence that makes up a gene. This type of genetic change used to be known as a gene mutation, but because changes in DNA do not always cause disease, it is thought that gene variant is a more accurate term. In natural selection, genetic mutations that are beneficial to an individual's survival are passed on through reproduction. This results in a new generation of organisms that are more likely to survive to reproduce. Evolution requires genetic variation, and these variations or changes (mutations) can be beneficial, neutral or deleterious. In general, there are two major types of evolutionary mechanisms, those that act to increase genetic variation, and mechanisms that operate to decrease genetic variation. Evolution and diversity result from the interactions between organisms and their environments and the consequences of these interactions over long periods of time. Organisms continually adapt to their environments, and the diversity of environments that exists promotes a diversity of organisms adapted to them. Two main mechanisms have been described: random generation of genetic diversity (at the germinal or somatic level) and memorization of past experience. As, in prokaryotes, CRISPR-Cas systems participate in the response to foreign genetic elements such as phages and provide a form of acquired immunity. Natural selection is one of the central mechanisms of evolutionary change and is the process responsible for the evolution of adaptive features. Without a working knowledge of natural selection, it is impossible to understand how or why living things have come to exhibit their diversity and complexity.