Evolutionary tradeoff

Let's say you have two candies, and you like both of them. But, you only have enough room in your pocket for one. You have to make a choice – which candy do you want to put in your pocket?

Animals and plants have to make choices like this too when it comes to traits (things that make them unique). However, they might not be choosing between candies, but rather traits like size, speed, and strength. Each trait helps an animal or plant in different ways, but it also has a cost.

Just like how choosing one candy means you won't have the other, choosing one trait means you might have to give up another. This is called an evolutionary tradeoff.

For example, imagine a small rodent that lives in the forest. It might be really good at running fast so it can escape from predators quickly. But, running fast requires strong leg muscles, which means the rodent might have less energy to grow bigger and stronger teeth. This means it might be harder for the rodent to chew tougher food, which can have an impact on its survival.

In other words, the rodent has traded off its ability to have bigger and stronger teeth for the ability to run faster. This is a common occurrence in the natural world – animals and plants have to make tradeoffs to survive and thrive.