Natural

Selection
Biology 2014
What is Natural Selection?
The variation of the frequency of an
expressed trait in a population over
generations to increase fitness in response
to environmental factors.
What is fitness? The ability of an organism to
reproduce and pass on its traits/genes to the
next generation.
Simple Definition: Natural Selection- How a
population changes over generations in
response to the environment.
4 Types of Natural Selection
Stabilizing Selection
Directional Selection
Disruptive Selection
Sexual Selection
http://evolution.berkeley.
edu/evosite/misconceps/images/misconceptions_beavers2.gif
Stabilizing Selection
What does stabilize mean?
To make something less likely to change
How does this relate to natural selection?
If a population is stable, then there will be less
change in the appearance of the organisms.
Directional Selection
An increase in the expression of one extreme
trait.
What happened to the Peppered Moths?
Pollution caused the environment to turn dark, and
the moths that were light colored became more
visible to predators. Eventually, most of the
population was dark colored.
http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/12/59012-004-3F583FEF.jpg
Disruptive Selection
A reduction/removal of the average trait, and an
increase in the two extreme versions of the trait.
What might cause disruptive selection?
Environmental factors- the average trait may be more visible
in the environment than the two extreme traits, making it a
target for predators
Sexual Selection
In sexual selection, males and females of a
species look different. Females select which
male they would like to breed with based on
appearance or physical ability.
(This type of natural selection does not have a graph.)
What are some examples of sexual selection
in the wild?
Graph Comparisons