Natural selection

Natural selection is a process that results in the adaptation of an organism to its

environment by means of selectively reproducing changes in its genotype, or
genetic constitution.
In natural selection, those variations in the genotype that increase an organism’s
chances of survival and procreation are preserved and multiplied from generation
to generation at the expense of less advantageous variations. Evolution often
occurs as a consequence of this process. Natural selection may arise from
differences in survival, in fertility, in rate of development, in mating success, or in
any other aspect of the life cycle.

Natural selection in giraffes

Charles Darwin held up giraffes as a prime example of natural selection, his theory
that’s often summarized as “survival of the fittest.” Giraffes with comparably
longer necks could reach food high up in trees, which gave them an advantage over
other animals and members of their own species with shorter necks. These longer-
necked individuals thrived and reproduced more, leading to generations of giraffes
with their signature lengthened anatomy.
Natural selection and antibiotic resistance
While some mutations are harmful to the bacteria, others can provide an advantage
given the right circumstances. Here, Darwin’s theory of natural selection comes in.
If a mutation gives the bacterium an advantage in a particular environment, this
bacterium will grow better than its neighbors and can increase in numbers – it is
selected for.
Mutations are the only way for bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics. Some
spontaneous mutations (or genes that have been acquired from other bacteria
through horizontal gene transfer) may make the bacterium resistant to an antibiotic.

Natural selection and dark form of pepper moth

The peppered moths were another example of natural selection. It was discovered
that the camouflage of the light moth no longer worked in the dark forest. Dark
moths live longer in a dark forest, so they had more time to breed.
All living things respond to natural selection. Over 100 other species of moth were
observed to darken over time in polluted forests. Scientists call this effect industrial
melanism.

Artificial Selection
Artificial selection is the selection by humans of a plant or an animal with a feature
(or trait) to improve, from which to breed the next generation where the offsprings
show improvement in the desired traits by the breeder.
The other offspring are eaten, culled or not used for breeding. This process of
selective breeding may continue for many generations until the preferred attributes
are fixed in the offspring.
Examples of Artificial Selection in the Caribbean

The Barbados Blackbelly sheep originates in Barbados from crossbreeding African

hair sheep and European wool sheep. African hair sheep were brought to Barbados
during the slave trade and European wool sheep during the Dutch trade. The
African hair sheep had the characteristics of goats, while the European wool sheep
were susceptible to burrs tangling in their wool. Cross-breeding between these two
types of sheep produced offspring which were selected for loss of woolliness and
for hardiness so that they would be better suited to the hot, humid climate and the
sparse pastures and bushes used as fodder. The desirable characteristics of
Blackbelly sheep are: a high reproductive rate (two lambs every 8–9 months), high
resistance to internal parasites, hardiness, short hair and lean tasty meat.

The Jamaica Hope is a breed of dairy cattle originating from Hope farm in
Jamaica, that was produced from cross-breeding different species of cattle. The
Jamaica Hope contains genes from Jersey, Sahiwal and Friesian breeds. The
Jamaica Hope breed is widely distributed throughout Jamaica. Some of these cattle
have been exported to other countries in the Caribbean area and Latin America.
Bulls for mating and semen for artificial insemination have also been exported.
Breeding started in an attempt to produce an animal that was well adjusted to the
climate. The breed is well adapted to its environment with its heat tolerance, high
resistance to ticks and tick-borne diseases, strong legs and feet, high longevity and
excellent dairy character (milking).
To improve or create new fruits and vegetables the process of artificial selection is
used.
Two examples of plants created through artificial selection are:
 Okra – This plant was prone to yellow vein mosaic disease where the fruit
produces becomes small and yellowish green. The new variety of okra was
developed by hybridizing the plant with hibiscus.
 Corn – the ancient farmers took the first steps to artificially selecting the
corn plant when some of the plant were smaller than others and some of
them tasted better than the others. The farmers saved the kernels from the
plants with the desirable characteristics and planted them for the next
season’s harvest. With this, corn cobs became larger over time with more
rows of kernels which eventually took the form of modern corn.