Can environment alter genes for a group of species to adapt in?

[Allen]

I am baffled by the process of evolution in which mutations occur constantly. For example lets imagine that a flock of birds manage to travel into an environment in which they wouldn't be suitable to survive in. Evolution states that the bird with the gene that is suitable for the environment is more likely to survive and pass their adaptable trait to their offspring opposed to the ones with out the trait. This process states that the mutation may take thousands of years to multiply along with other genetic mutations that makes the species more diverse, but lets say that these flock of birds settle into an environment that is too cold for them to survive. The flock of birds try to reproduce to stay alive. So I question whether or not they somehow keep reproducing for that extremely rare mutation for them to survive. Or if they can't manage to pass the create the adaptable gene for their offspring they are to render themselves into extinction. Or can environment somehow alter the gene for example skin pigmentation for them to become suitable.

 

[Chelvis]

Evolution is slow, in the case you mentioned its more likly that the population would go extinct. A more relaistic case would be a group of birds has gotten to large for its enviroment. A few individuals move to a slightly colder climate, out of these only a handful were able to survive the cold winter, these then breed hopefully passing out thier genes that have allowed them to survive. From these offspring they breed the next year eventully creating a thriving population to which a few individuals then move to a slightly colder climated and the process happens all over again. This is progresses evolution.

What happen on the golopocos is slightly different. A few finches managed to make it to the island and had no problem surviving. Rather some specialized in nector eatting rather then grubs. So those that perfered nector would find others, most finches that perfered nector had a long beak naturally so this beak trait only gets magnified if like and like breed togeather. This is isolated divergant evolution.

Most of the time when an animal is tossed into an enviroment that is can't survive what we see is adabtive behavior but no change in gentics... this happens through selective breeding of individuals that for some reason have been able to survive. This does not always happen and thats why there are natural extinctions.