What does "descent with modification from a common ancestor"

Last updated: 7/8/2022

What does "descent with modification from a common ancestor" mean? Each species gradually changes over evolutionary time, becoming ever more different from the individuals who lived before them. Species living at any given time-such as the present-are derived from a common ancestor, and their traits reflect that ancestry as well as changes over time. An organism's environment induces changes in its inherited traits, making the organism better suited for that environment. Descendants inherit traits from their ancestors. Descendants can then choose to modify these traits as needed.