Artificial Selection
Humans breed organisms for traits.
About this topic
Artificial selection (selective breeding) is when humans choose which organisms reproduce, to increase desired traits. Over generations, wild mustard was bred into cabbage, broccoli and kale, wolves into dogs, and wild wheat into high-yield crops.
The process is slow and repeated: pick the best individuals, breed them, repeat. Drawbacks include reduced genetic variation, inbreeding and health problems, such as in some dog breeds. It demonstrates how selection can change populations, supporting Darwin's idea.
Dog breeds from chihuahuas to Great Danes all come from wolves, showing how fast selection works when humans choose parents. Farmers choose cows with high milk yield, wheat with big grains and chickens with more eggs. The steps are choosing parents with the desired trait, breeding them, selecting the best offspring, and repeating.
A downside is reduced genetic variation and inbreeding, so purebred dogs often suffer inherited problems such as hip dysplasia, and crops with identical genes can be wiped out by one disease, as with the Irish potato famine. Compared with natural selection, humans rather than the environment decide what is favourable. Students sometimes confuse it with genetic engineering; selective breeding uses natural variation and takes generations, while genetic engineering directly changes genes.
Key ideas
- Dog breeds from wolves
- Crop varieties
- Same principle as natural selection
Quick check
Use cases: where Artificial Selection helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind Artificial Selection before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall Artificial Selection without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how Artificial Selection changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain Artificial Selection in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
Biology underpins medicine, farming, conservation and biotechnology.
Frequently asked questions
What is Artificial Selection?
Humans breed organisms for traits.
What will I learn in Artificial Selection?
Dog breeds from wolves. Crop varieties. Same principle as natural selection.
Is Artificial Selection part of Biology?
Yes. It is one of 150 Biology topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the Artificial Selection lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study Artificial Selection?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.