Given that there is a living to be made at night, and given that alternative daytime trades are thoroughly occupied, natural selection has favoured bats that make a go of the night-hunting trade.
Would you please explain the meaning of the sentence especially the underlined parts?
The expression "make a living" is most often applied to people, meaning to earn enough money to support oneself. In the case of animals, it means to find enough food to survive. Your sentence puts the expression into the passive voice.
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The expression "make a living" is most often applied to people, meaning to earn enough money to support oneself. In the case of animals, it means to find enough food to survive. Your sentence puts the expression into the passive voice.
"trades" means "occupations" in the sense of types of work, or, in this case, "ways to earn a living". The word is normally applied to people. For example