Artificial selection

Explanation or usage

Selection can alter inherited traits over generations when relevant variation is present. A trait favored by people is not necessarily advantageous in the wild. The immediate act of choosing parents differs from changes in a single individual during its life.

Common misunderstandings

Breeding for a trait means an individual can choose to develop the inherited trait instantly.

In Cosmos

General context reviewed · book attribution and sources pending

Use this concept to compare deliberate breeding, in which people influence which organisms reproduce, with selection arising from environmental conditions.