Search results
- DictionaryNat·u·ral se·lec·tion/ˌnaCHər(ə)l səˈlekSH(ə)n/
noun
- 1. the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution.
Powered by Oxford Languages
People also ask
What is natural selection in biology?
Why is natural selection important?
How does natural selection affect evolution?
What is ecological selection?
May 23, 2024 · Natural selection is the process that results in the adaptation of an organism to its environment by means of selectively reproducing changes in its genotype. Learn how natural selection differs from mutation, migration, genetic drift, and sexual selection, and how it affects evolution.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in phenotype. It is a key mechanism of evolution, the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations.
Oct 19, 2023 · Learn how natural selection is the process of adaptation and evolution through genetic variation and inheritance. Find out how Darwin developed the idea of natural selection and how it differs from artificial selection.
Jan 11, 2024 · Learn the meaning of natural selection, a natural process that leads to the survival and reproductive success of the best adapted individuals or groups. See how natural selection works in different contexts and examples from science and history.
- Natural Selection Explained
- Natural Selection Examples
- Principles of Natural Selection
- Types of Natural Selection
- History of Natural Selection
Even if a parent were perfectly adapted to the environment, the environment will change, leaving the offspring maladapted to the environment. Because there are many animals and few resources, only the best and most fit organisms can reproduce.Natural selection works against all organisms, and it can be thought of as the environment and forces actin...
Example of Stabilizing Selection
For stabilizing selection, imagine a population of mice that lives in the woods. Some of the mice are black, some are white, and some are grey. If the mice had no predators, and no other forces acting on the color of their coat, it would have no reason to change and would only change randomly in response to certain mutations in the DNA. However, that is not the case with these mice. They have lots of predators. Foxes and house cats prey on the mice during the day. In the nighttime, the owls a...
Example of Directional Selection
It is important to consider different traits in the same population of animals. Imagine again the population of mice living in the woods. Instead of their color, consider a trait that runs on a continuous scale. Imagine that the mice vary in size from a normal sized mouse to something much larger than a rat. Although the mice are the same species, they grow into many different sizes. The predators, however, have a terrible time trying to catch and eat the largest of the mice. Not only do the...
Example of Diversifying Selection
Okay, last time with the mice. But this time, consider a new trait in the population. Let’s imagine that some of the mice begin to grow skin flaps between their front and back legs. Effectively, it makes a parachute that allows them to glide away from predators. Mice that fully have the skin flaps do really well and are almost always able to escape predators. Likewise, mice without the flaps avoid the trees and open spaces that mice with flaps venture into, and are much better at hiding from...
There is an incredible variety of selective forces in the natural world, ranging from interspecies competition, to predator-prey dynamics, to sexual selection between the different genders. The defining characteristic of natural selection is that it is a force that allows some organisms to reproduce more than others. Natural selection does not alwa...
As animals diversify and fill different niches, the pressures exerted on them can change in many ways. The functional requirements to be a bird are much different than those required to be a fish. Their food is different, the medium they exist in is different, and they must obtain oxygen in a different way. Natural selection thus selects for very d...
Before Darwin
In 1809, the world of biology was very different. This was the year Charles Darwin, the originator of the theory of natural selection, was born. Darwin was born into a world were transmutation was the dominant theory of evolution.According to this theory, animals changed throughout their lifetime, and they passed these changes on to their offspring. For example, giraffes got their long necks because every generation stretched as far as possible to reach the leaves. This theory did not sit wel...
Darwin’s Theory
In this idea, evolution was driven by four principles. Between individuals, the was variance. Organisms can only get traits via inheritance. A force, natural selection, let’s the fittest animals reproduce the most. Finally, these actions all take place over time, an important aspect of evolution. Together, these principles drive changes over time. However, Darwin did not publish these ideas immediately. He spent the next 20 years gathering more evidence and solidifying his argument. This proc...
- Gabe Buckley
Natural selection is one of the basic mechanisms of evolution, along with mutation, migration, and genetic drift. Darwin’s grand idea of evolution by natural selection is relatively simple but often misunderstood. To see how it works, imagine a population of beetles: There is variation in traits.
Natural selection is a mechanism that makes any species - be it a plant, animal, fungus, bacteria, you name it - better adapted to their environment. For herbivores (i.e. plant eaters), the plants are indeed part of their environment.
