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    Artificial Selection

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    Juan Carlos Rebolledo
    Artificial selection is when humans identify desirable traits in plants and animals and breed them to enhance those traits over generations, similar to natural selection but directed by humans rather than nature. Charles Darwin observed how different species of Galapagos finches had varying beak traits suited to their environments, showing evidence of natural selection. Artificial selection by breeding has also altered traits drastically in pigeons, dogs, farm animals, and plants to suit human purposes like agriculture over centuries.

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    Artificial Selection

    Uploaded by

    Juan Carlos Rebolledo
    33 views2 pages
    Artificial selection is when humans identify desirable traits in plants and animals and breed them to enhance those traits over generations, similar to natural selection but directed by humans rather than nature. Charles Darwin observed how different species of Galapagos finches had varying beak traits suited to their environments, showing evidence of natural selection. Artificial selection by breeding has also altered traits drastically in pigeons, dogs, farm animals, and plants to suit human purposes like agriculture over centuries.

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    ARTIFICIAL SELECTION

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    Artificial selection is when humans identify desirable traits in plants and animals and breed them to enhance those traits over generations, similar to natural selection but directed by humans rather than nature. Charles Darwin observed how different species of Galapagos finches had varying beak traits suited to their environments, showing evidence of natural selection. Artificial selection by breeding has also altered traits drastically in pigeons, dogs, farm animals, and plants to suit human purposes like agriculture over centuries.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    33 views2 pages

    Artificial Selection

    Uploaded by

    Juan Carlos Rebolledo
    Artificial selection is when humans identify desirable traits in plants and animals and breed them to enhance those traits over generations, similar to natural selection but directed by humans rather than nature. Charles Darwin observed how different species of Galapagos finches had varying beak traits suited to their environments, showing evidence of natural selection. Artificial selection by breeding has also altered traits drastically in pigeons, dogs, farm animals, and plants to suit human purposes like agriculture over centuries.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
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    Artificial Selection

    Artificial selection is the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and


    animals, and the steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future
    generations. Artificial selection works the same way as natural selection, except
    that with natural selection it is nature, not human interference, that makes these
    decisions.

    In laying out the evidence for his theory of evolution by natural selection in his 1859
    book, On the Origin of Species, the British naturalist and biologist Charles Darwin
    highlighted the physical traits and behaviors of several species of bird called
    finches. During a voyage in the 1830s, Darwin had observed these birds on the
    Galápagos Islands, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean west of South America. 

    Sometimes summed up by the phrase “survival of the fittest,” natural selection is


    based on the following principles: In nature, organisms produce
    more offspring than are able to survive and reproduce. Offspring with traits that
    make them more likely to survive, mature, and reproduce in the environment they
    inhabit pass on their traits to the next generation.

    As this happens generation after generation, natural selection acts as a kind of


    sieve, or a remover of undesirable traits. Organisms therefore gradually become
    better-suited for their environment. If the environment changes, natural selection
    will then push organisms to evolve in a different direction to adapt to their new
    circumstances.

    How does this relate to finches? On the Galápagos Islands, some finches
    appeared so different from others that Darwin did not realize at first that they were
    all finches. In fact, they were different species of finches with a variety of traits.
    Some finches, for instance, had long, narrow beaks, while others had short, thick
    beaks. Darwin concluded that the traits of the different populations of finches had
    changed over time, and that these variations were related to different environments
    in the islands. Each type of beak had evolved for a specific task. Where there was
    a large supply of seeds on the ground, for instance, short-beaked finches became
    more common, because these beaks were better at cracking open the seeds.
    Where cactus plants were more common, finches developed long, narrow beaks to
    extract pollen and nectar from cactus flowers.

    Darwin’s finches constituted powerful evidence for natural selection. But Darwin
    was also inspired greatly by the evolution that he saw in the traits of pigeons, not
    due to natural selection but rather artificial selection. Breeding pigeons was a
    popular hobby in England in Darwin’s time. By selecting which pigeons were
    allowed to mate, people had a profound effect on their appearance, such as the
    shape and size of their beaks and the color of their feathers. 

    Dog breeding is another prime example of artificial selection. Although all dogs are
    descendants of the wolf, the use of artificial selection has allowed humans to
    drastically alter the appearance of dogs. For centuries, dogs have been bred for
    various desired characteristics, leading to the creation of a wide range of dogs,
    from the tiny Chihuahua to the massive Great Dane.

    Artificial selection has long been used in agriculture to produce animals and crops
    with desirable traits. The meats sold today are the result of the selective breeding
    of chickens, cattle, sheep, and pigs. Many fruits and vegetables have been
    improved or even created through artificial selection. For example, broccoli,
    cauliflower, and cabbage were all derived from the wild mustard plant through
    selective breeding. Artificial selection appeals to humans since it is faster than
    natural selection and allows humans to mold organisms to their needs.

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