Directional Selection –
Stabilizing Selection –
Disruptive Selection –
Directional Selection: In this type of natural selection, individuals at one extreme of a trait have higher fitness compared to individuals with the average or opposite extreme of the trait. This leads to the shift of the frequency of the trait towards the selected extreme.
Stabilizing Selection: Stabilizing selection occurs when individuals with intermediate traits have higher fitness compared to individuals with extreme traits. This results in the reduction of variation and the maintenance of the average trait within a population.
Disruptive Selection: Disruptive selection is when individuals with extreme traits have higher fitness compared to individuals with intermediate traits. This can lead to the creation of two distinct phenotypic traits or the splitting of a population into two separate groups.