> [!infobox] <s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 15 topics, 16 evergreens, 2 sources</em></s> #### <s class="topic-title">[[natural selection]]</s> The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. It has three major building blocks **[[individual selection]]** (preserve your own genes), **[[inclusive fitness]]** (help those with genes similar to yours), **[[reciprocal altruism]]** (preserve genes that will help me) ^[[[lecture - Behavioral Evolution]]] > [!wikipedia] [natural selection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural%20selection) > > Natural selection is the differential survival and reproduction of individuals due to differences in [[phenotype]]. It is a key mechanism of [[evolution]], the change in the heritable traits characteristic of a population over generations. > > Variation exists within all populations of organisms. This occurs partly because random mutations arise in the genome of an individual organism, and their offspring can inherit such mutations. Throughout the lives of the individuals, their genomes interact with their environments to cause variations in traits. The environment of a genome includes the [[molecular biology]] in the cell, other cells, other individuals, populations, species, as well as the abiotic environment. Because individuals with certain variants of the trait tend to survive and reproduce more than individuals with other less successful variants, the population evolves. Other factors affecting reproductive success include [[sexual selection]] (now often included in natural selection) and fecundity selection. > > Natural selection acts on the [[phenotype]], the characteristics of the organism which actually interact with the environment, but the genetic (heritable) basis of any [[phenotype]] that gives that [[phenotype]] a reproductive advantage may become more common in a population. Over time, this process can result in populations that specialize for particular ecological niches (microevolution) and may eventually result in speciation (the emergence of new species, macroevolution). In other words, natural selection is a key process in the evolution of a population. > **See**:: [[Evolution]], [[Biology]] #### Related - [[Adaptations are only clear when studied at the correct scale]] - [[Group selection solves the fundamental problem of social life]] - [[How can something be adaptive and net bad]] - [[Humans are a product of evolution]] - [[Natural selection can be seen within generations]] - [[Natural selection is a designing agent]] - [[Proximate explanation never substitutes for ultimate explanation in Evolution]]