Selection
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/99.152.248.21|99.152.248.21]] to last version by Prom3th3an (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
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In the context of [[evolution]], certain traits or [[allele]]s of a [[species]] may be subject to '''selection.''' Under selection, individuals with advantageous or [[Adaptation (biology)|"adaptive"]] traits tend to be more successful than their peers reproductively--meaning they contribute more offspring to the succeeding generation than others do. When these traits have a genetic basis, selection can increase the prevalence of those traits, because offspring will [[genetics|inherit]] those traits from their parents. When selection is intense and persistent, adaptive traits become universal to the population or species, which may then be said to have ''evolved''.
==Overview==
Whether or not selection takes place depends on the conditions in which the individuals of a species find themselves. Adults, [[juvenile (animal)|juvenile]]s, [[embryo]]s, and even [[Ovum|egg]]s and [[sperm]] may undergo selection. Factors fostering selection include limits on resources (nourishment, habitat space, mates) and the existence of threats (predators, disease, adverse weather). Biologists often refer to such factors as '''selective pressures'''.
[[Natural selection]] is the most familiar type of selection by name. The breeding of dogs, cows and horses, however, represents "[[artificial selection]]." Subcategories of natural selection are also sometimes distinguished. These include [[sexual selection]], [[ecological selection]], [[stabilizing selection]], [[disruptive selection]] and [[directional selection]] (more on these below).
Selection occurs only when the individuals of a population are diverse in their characteristics--or more specifically when the traits of individuals differ with respect to how well they equip them to survive or exploit a particular pressure. In the absence of individual variation, or when variations are '''selectively neutral''', selection does not occur.
Meanwhile, selection does not guarantee that advantageous traits or alleles will become prevalent within a population. Through [[genetic drift]], such traits may become less common or disappear. In the face of selection even a so-called ''deleterious allele'' may become universal to the members of a species. This is a risk primarily in the case of "weak" selection (e.g. an infectious disease with only a low mortality rate) or [[small population size|small population]]s.
Though deleterious alleles may sometimes become established, selection may act "negatively" as well as "positively." '''Negative selection''' decreases the prevalence of traits that diminish individuals' capacity to succeed reproductively (i.e. their [[fitness (biology)|fitness]]), while '''positive selection''' increases the prevalence of adaptive traits.
In biological discussions, traits subject to negative selection are sometimes said to be "selected against," while those under positive selection are said to be "selected for," as in the sentence ''Desert conditions select for drought tolerance in plants and select against shallow root architectures.''
== Types and subtypes ==
[[Image:Selection classification diagram.png|frame|right|Selection is hierachically classified into [[natural selection|natural]] and [[artificial selection]]. Natural selection is further subclassified into [[ecological selection|ecological]] and [[sexual selection]]]]
===Patterns of selection===
Aspects of selection may be divided into effects on a phenotype and their causes. The effects are called '''patterns of selection''', and do not necessarily result from particular causes (''mechanisms''); in fact each pattern can arise from a number of different mechanisms. [[Stabilizing selection]] favors individuals with intermediate characteristics while its opposite, [[disruptive selection]], favors those with extreme characteristics; [[directional selection]] occurs when characteristics lie along a phenotypic spectrum and the individuals at one end are more successful; and [[balancing selection]] is a pattern in which multiple characteristics may be favored.
===Mechanisms of selection===
Distinct from patterns of selection are '''mechanisms of selection'''; for example, disruptive selection often is the result of [[disassortative sexual selection]], and balancing selection may result from [[frequency-dependent selection]] and [[overdominance]].
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=Selection: The Mechanism of Evolution |last=Bell |first=Graham|authorlink=Graham Bell (biologist) |year=1997 |publisher=Chapman & Hall |location=New York |isbn=041205521X |pages=699 p}} (2nd edition published in 2008 by Oxford University Press, 553 p., ISBN 0198569726)
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[[Category:Evolutionary biology]]
[[Category:Population genetics]]
[[Category:Selection|*]]
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