Natural selection is the driving force behind evolution. However, can it be argued

Natural selection is the driving force behind evolution. However, can it be argued that it is natural selection that directly creates new phenotypes and genotypes?

Natural selection, as the name suggests, selects those phenotypes that increase the fitness (ability to leave offspring) of an organism in a given environment. It should be understood that selection of the phenotype is followed by the selection of the genotype. If a mutation in the gene responsible for the color of fur increases the fitness of an individual (individuals with a new color are eaten less by predators), then the gene is more likely to be passed on to the next generation and gain a foothold in the population. If the mutation, on the contrary, lowers fitness, then it is likely to be washed out by selection. The material for selection, as is already clear, is provided by mutations. Mutations create different variants of genes and, as a result, phenotypes. The different fitness of individuals also depends on this. The selection already selects those who turned out to be the most successful in terms of reproduction (runs faster, is more invisible to predators, etc.).