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Related Concept Videos

What is Natural Selection?01:32

What is Natural Selection?

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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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Antibiotic Selection00:57

Antibiotic Selection

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Overview
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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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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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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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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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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Mutagenesis and Functional Selection Protocols for Directed Evolution of Proteins in E. coli
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Stabilizing selection on sperm number revealed by artificial selection and experimental evolution.

Silvia Cattelan1, Andrea Di Nisio1,2, Andrea Pilastro1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|January 17, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sperm competition drives high sperm production, yet its genetic variation persists. Stabilizing selection, balancing sperm traits with survival and mating, ultimately regulates sperm numbers in guppies.

Keywords:
Additive genetic variancePoecilia reticulata, sperm competitionheritabilitytotal sexual selection

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Animal reproduction
  • Behavioral ecology

Background:

  • Sperm competition is common in animals and linked to sperm count, a key factor in fertilization success.
  • Despite strong directional selection on sperm production, high genetic variance is often observed.
  • Trade-offs between sperm production and other fitness traits may explain this variance through stabilizing selection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of trade-offs and stabilizing selection in maintaining genetic variation for sperm production.
  • To understand how sexual selection influences sperm production in guppies (Poecilia reticulata).

Main Methods:

  • Artificial selection for high and low sperm production in male guppies over three generations.
  • Manipulation of sexual selection pressure during and after artificial selection.
  • Monitoring of sperm production levels in response to selection regimes.

Main Results:

  • Sperm production responded rapidly to divergent artificial selection within one generation.
  • Upon restoring sexual selection, both high and low sperm production lines converged to the population mean.
  • This convergence indicates strong stabilizing total sexual selection on sperm number.

Conclusions:

  • Sperm production is under potent stabilizing total sexual selection, which balances selection pressures.
  • Mechanisms maintaining high genetic variability in sperm production despite strong selection warrant further investigation.
  • Findings highlight the complex interplay of selection pressures shaping reproductive traits.