A dog breeder wanted to produce a small variety of cocker spaniel. He mated the smallest dogs from various litters for many generations. This is an example of
selective breeding?
selection, or phenotype selection.
selective breeding.
Selective breeding, also known as artificial selection, is a deliberate process where humans choose specific individuals with desired traits to reproduce and pass on those traits to future generations. In this case, the dog breeder wanted to create a small variety of cocker spaniels. To achieve this, the breeder specifically selected the smallest dogs from different litters and allowed them to mate with each other for several generations. By consistently choosing the smallest individuals in each generation, the breeder aimed to accentuate the desired trait of small size in the cocker spaniel breed. This process is an example of selective breeding, as the breeding decisions were intentionally made to obtain a specific trait in the resulting offspring.