BRAINCAKETypes of Selection
Natural selection is the process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment survive, reproduce and pass on their alleles to the next generation.
Different environmental conditions favour different individuals and those individuals that are not well adapted to their environment tend not to survive.
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Key terms in this lesson
- gene
- A length of DNA that codes for a polypeptide or a functional RNA molecule, at a specific locus on a chromosome.
- allele
- One of the different versions of a gene, arising by mutation, that occupy the same locus on homologous chromosomes.
- natural selection
- The process by which individuals with alleles that are better suited to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce and pass on those alleles.
- directional selection
- A type of natural selection that favours one extreme phenotype, shifting the population mean towards it.
- stabilising selection
- A type of natural selection that favours phenotypes close to the population mean and selects against both extremes.
More in Genetic Diversity
- Independent Segregation of Chromatids
- Number of Chromosome Combinations
- Genetic Diversity
- Natural Selection
- Peppered Moths
- Directional Selection
- Antibiotic Resistance
- Stabilising Selection
All 19 lessons in Genetic Diversity · All AQA AS-level Biology topics