In evolution, an adaptation is a heritable trait that improves survival or reproduction in a particular environment. Adaptations become common because natural selection favors inherited differences that affect reproductive success.
An adaptation can be structural, physiological, or behavioral. Camouflage, the ability to digest particular foods, and seasonal migration are examples when they have a genetic and evolutionary basis.
An adaptation is not the same as acclimatization, which is a change during an individual’s lifetime and is generally not inherited. Also, a trait can be useful without being an adaptation if it did not arise through selection for that function.