Human Driven Selection – Artificial and Unintentional Selection

Artificial selection is like playing “evolution with a purpose.” We choose which organisms get to reproduce based on traits we find desirable. Breeders favor cows that produce more milk, corn with larger kernels, or dogs with specific temperaments. Over generations, these traits become more common, creating new breeds or varieties.

But evolution doesn’t always follow our plan! Unintentional selection happens when our actions, even if not meant to change a population, influence which traits survive. For example, using plows that favor larger seeds in a grain can unintentionally select for that trait. Similarly, using antibiotics in livestock can unintentionally select for resistant bacteria.

• PNAS Journal Article – Human-induced evolution caused by unnatural selection through harvest of wild animals
• Current Biology Journal Article – Natural and human-driven selection of a single non-coding body size variant in ancient and modern canids
• BioBeef Blog – Unnatural Selection