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Related Concept Videos

What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.The Theory of Natural...
Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations, psychological...
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.For one, natural selection can only act upon existing genetic variation. Hypothetically, redtusks may enhance elephant survival by deterring ivory-seeking poachers. However, if there are no gene variants—or alleles—for redtusks, natural selection cannot increase the prevalence of...
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 19, 2026

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
04:51

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

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On the logical relationship between natural selection and self-organization.

G A Hoelzer1, E Smith, J W Pepper

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89557, USA. hoelzer@unr.edu

Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|October 17, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Natural selection (NS) may be an emergent process rooted in self-organization (SO) principles. This perspective offers a broader physical context for understanding NS origins and adaptive evolution.

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Last Updated: Jul 19, 2026

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
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Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
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Published on: April 30, 2019

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Complex systems science
  • Thermodynamics

Background:

  • Darwin's theory of natural selection (NS) is widely accepted for adaptive evolution.
  • Self-organization (SO) in complex systems suggests adaptation can occur without NS.
  • A potential conflict exists between NS and SO as explanations for adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To establish a logical framework connecting self-organization (SO) and natural selection (NS).
  • To re-contextualize NS within the broader principles of SO.
  • To explore the physical basis for the origin of NS.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis relating SO principles to NS mechanisms.
  • Describing NS as a system coordinating ecosystem coevolution for energy processing.
  • Applying thermodynamic imperatives to understand SO and NS.

Main Results:

  • Natural selection (NS) is framed as an emergent process from self-organization (SO).
  • NS is characterized as a mechanism for coordinating ecosystem energy capture, processing, and dissipation.
  • SO provides a broader physical context for understanding NS, rather than contradicting it.

Conclusions:

  • Natural selection (NS) is founded on the same thermodynamic imperatives driving self-organization (SO).
  • The theory of self-organizing systems offers a physical framework for understanding NS origins.
  • The origin of NS may be driven by energy flows across gradients, suggesting a physical basis.