What are the different ways in which individuals with a particular trait may increase in a population?

Solution:

An individual attribute could increase a population in the following 2 ways:

(a) Natural selection: If an attribute is useful to a population, it’ll increase naturally.

For example, mosquitoes which are resilient against a particular pesticide will pass on their genes so that future generations become resistant as well. The mosquitoes which are affected by the pesticide die out.

(b) Genetic drift: If a species faces a catastrophic event where most of the population is wiped out, the surviving population can pass on their traits to the following generations. This may result in a rise in the attribute within the population.