Which term means differences among individuals within a species?

• A. Evolution
• B. Variation
• C. Autosomal chromosome
• D. Mutation

Answer: (B)

Differences among individuals within a species are called variation. These differences come from genetic variation—the different versions of genes people inherit—and can also be influenced by environmental factors that shape how traits are expressed. Variation is what you see when you compare traits like height, eye color, or blood type within a population. It provides the raw material that natural selection acts on, allowing populations to adapt over generations.

Evolution, on the other hand, is the process by which allele frequencies in a population change over time, not the immediate differences observed among individuals. A mutation is a source of new genetic variants that can contribute to variation, but it is not the term for the observed differences themselves. An autosomal chromosome refers to a class of chromosomes and does not describe differences among individuals.