noun

natural selection

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Natural selection (noun) means the process by which living things with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and have more offspring, so that those traits become more common in later generations. Example: “Natural selection favoured the moths whose colouring hid them on soot-darkened bark.”

noun

The process by which living things with traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and have more offspring, so that those traits become more common in later generations.

"Natural selection favoured the moths whose colouring hid them on soot-darkened bark."

"Antibiotic resistance spreads through natural selection."

How to Use Natural selection

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTraits that help an animal or plant survive get passed on more often.

When to use it

Standard scientific term, familiar in general writing.

Memory tip

Natural selection acts on populations over generations, never on a single individual during its lifetime.

Easily confused with

evolution → artificial selection adaptation → genetic drift

Common pairings

by natural selection the theory of natural selection natural selection acts on pressure of natural selection

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ favoured the moths whose colouring hid them on soot-darkened bark.

Rhymes for natural selection

region ablation allusion emulsion ideation novation abortion abrasion diffusion elocution extension oxidation

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between natural selection and evolution?

Evolution is the change in the inherited characteristics of populations over generations. Natural selection is one mechanism that drives it, alongside others such as genetic drift, mutation and migration. Natural selection is the how; evolution is the what.

What is the difference between natural selection and artificial selection?

Both change which traits become common, but the filter differs. In natural selection the environment does the selecting through survival and reproduction; in artificial selection humans choose which individuals breed, as with dog breeds and crop varieties.

Is 'survival of the fittest' the same thing?

It is a popular but misleading paraphrase. 'Fittest' here means best fitted to a particular environment, not strongest or fastest, and what really counts is reproductive success rather than mere survival.