Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica
SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE TO PREMIUM
  • Home
  • Biographies
  • Animals & Nature
  • History & Society
  • Science & Tech
  • Geography & Travel
  • Arts & Culture
  • ProCon
  • Money
  • Games & Quizzes
  • Videos
  • Today in History
  • Dictionary
  • New Articles
Biographies
  • Browse Biographies
Animals & Nature
  • Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
  • Environment
  • Fossils & Geologic Time
  • Insects & Other Invertebrates
  • Mammals
  • Plants
History & Society
  • History
  • Philosophy & Religion
  • Politics, Law & Government
  • Society & Social Issues
Science & Tech
  • Health & Medicine
  • Science
  • Technology
Geography & Travel
  • Geography & Travel
Arts & Culture
  • Entertainment & Pop Culture
  • Literature
  • Sports & Recreation
  • Visual Arts
  • Image Galleries
  • Podcasts
  • Summaries
  • Top Questions
  • Lists and Stories
  • Britannica Kids
Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
disruptive selection
References
Images
Diagram illustrating three types of natural selection-stabilizing, directional, and diversifying-showing how each affects the distribution of beetle phenotypes in a population over multiple generations. Shaded areas indicate phenotypes selected against, and arrows show shifts in population traits.
Britannica AI Icon

disruptive selection

biology
Also known as: diversifying selection
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Learn about this topic in these articles:

  • major evolutionary events
    evolution
    / Diversifying selection

    Two or more divergent phenotypes in an environment may be favoured simultaneously by diversifying selection. (See the right column of the figure.) No natural environment is homogeneous; rather, the environment of any plant or animal population is a mosaic consisting of more or…

    Read More

    Two or more divergent phenotypes in an environment may be favoured simultaneously by diversifying selection. (See the right column of the figure.) No natural environment is homogeneous; rather, the environment of any plant or animal population is a mosaic consisting of more or…

    Read More