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Related Concept Videos

What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

132.1K
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.
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Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

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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...
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Limits to Natural Selection01:38

Limits to Natural Selection

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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.
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Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

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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,...
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Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

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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,...
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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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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.
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Related Experiment Video

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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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Natural selection and mechanistic regularity.

Lane DesAutels1

  • 1Program for the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame, 436 Geddes Hall, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.

Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
|February 28, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Natural selection is regular enough to be considered a mechanism. Distinguishing between different types of regularity and irregularity supports its status as a mechanism, contrary to some critiques.

Keywords:
MechanismNatural selectionProbabilityRegularity

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Area of Science:

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • The debate on whether natural selection qualifies as a mechanism hinges on its regularity.
  • Machamer, Darden, and Craver (2000) define mechanisms based on regularity.
  • Skipper and Millstein (2005) critiqued natural selection's regularity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate if natural selection meets the criteria for a mechanism as defined by Machamer, Darden, and Craver (MDC).
  • To address the critique that natural selection lacks sufficient regularity to be an MDC mechanism.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of mechanistic regularity through distinctions.
  • Examination of process vs. product regularity.
  • Distinguishing mechanism-internal vs. mechanism-external irregularity.
  • Differentiating abstract vs. concrete regularity.

Main Results:

  • Natural selection exhibits regularity when analyzed through specific distinctions.
  • Irregularities in natural selection are often external or abstract, not threatening its mechanistic status.
  • The critique by Skipper and Millstein (2005) is addressed by refining the understanding of regularity.

Conclusions:

  • Natural selection can be considered a regular enough MDC mechanism.
  • Careful attention to distinctions in regularity (process/product, internal/external, abstract/concrete) is crucial.
  • The status of natural selection as an MDC mechanism is defended against critiques.