Which condition is NOT required for natural selection to occur?

Natural selection is a fundamental mechanism of evolution that requires specific conditions to drive the process. Inherited variation is essential because traits must be passed from one generation to the next for certain characteristics to become more or less common within a population over time. Fitness to the environment is also crucial, as it refers to how well individuals with certain traits survive and reproduce in a given environment. Overproduction of offspring is important because it creates competition for resources, allowing for the selection of advantageous traits among the offspring.

Random mating, while it can influence genetic variation and population dynamics, is not a prerequisite for natural selection to occur. Natural selection can act on any traits that affect survival and reproduction, regardless of how individuals mate. Therefore, the existence of random mating does not affect the fundamental process by which certain traits become more prevalent in a population through natural selection. As a result, the condition of random mating is not required for natural selection to take place.