artificial selection

SEE SYNONYMS FOR artificial selection ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a process in the breeding of animals and in the cultivation of plants by which the breeder chooses to perpetuate only those forms having certain desirable inheritable characteristics.

Words nearby artificial selection

artificial pacemaker, artificial person, artificial radioactivity, artificial reality, artificial respiration, artificial selection, artificial turf, artificial ventilation, artificiality, artificialize, artigas

Words related to artificial selection

adaptation, evolution, Darwinism, evolutionism, phylogeny

Medical definitions for artificial selection

artificial selection

n.

Human intervention in animal or plant reproduction to ensure certain characteristics are represented in successive generations.

Scientific definitions for artificial selection

artificial selection

Modification of a species by human intervention so that certain desirable traits are represented in successive generations. The different breeds of domestic dogs and the large ears of maize corn are products of artificial selection. Compare natural selection.

Cultural definitions for artificial selection

artificial selection

The breeding of plants and animals to produce desirable traits. Organisms with the desired traits, such as size or taste, are artificially mated or cross-pollinated with organisms with similar desired traits. (Compare natural selection.)