Which characteristic of living things involves adjusting to changes in their environment?

The characteristic of living things that involves adjusting to changes in their environment is adaptation. Adaptation refers to the processes through which organisms evolve traits and characteristics that enhance their survival and reproductive success within changing environments over time. This process can occur through natural selection, where those individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass those traits to the next generation.

Adaptation can be observed in various forms, whether they are behavioral changes, physiological changes, or structural changes. For example, animals may develop thicker fur to survive in colder climates, or plants may evolve deeper roots to access water in drier conditions. Such adjustments are critical for the long-term survival of species in fluctuating environments.

Other characteristics like reproduction, growth, and metabolism are important life processes, but they do not specifically focus on the ability to respond to environmental changes. Reproduction emphasizes the generation of offspring, growth involves the increase in size or mass over time, and metabolism relates to the chemical processes that occur within an organism to maintain life.