What is artificial selection? How did it influence Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution?

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Question: What is artificial selection? How did it influence Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution?

Option 1: 'It's humans selecting traits in species for their own benefit. Darwin noted that instead of humans, a creator could have been systematically selecting traits in species over millions of years.'
This answer correctly captures the core idea of artificial selection as human-directed breeding to emphasize certain traits. However, the second sentence introduces a speculative and non-scientific claim about a creator performing selection over millions of years, which Darwin did not frame as evidence for evolution via natural processes. The emphasis on a creator as an alternative is a misrepresentation of how artificial selection informs Darwin’s thinking about natural selection.

Option 2: 'It's the creation of traits in species by genetic engineering. Darwin learned about this in his studies, which led him to think about how humans could control evolution.'
This option is inaccurate historically. Genetic engineering as a method to create traits did not exist in Darwin’s time and was not the mechanism he studied. Artificial selection refers to selecting existing variation rather than creating new ones through laboratory techniques, so this mischaracterizes both the method and Darwin’s historical context.

Option 3: 'It's the domestication of plants and animals. Darwin observed his mother breed fancy pigeons and he could see her role as the selector of traits, leading to considering how nature might do the same.'
This statement correctly identifies artificial selection as domestication through selective breeding by humans. It also aligns with Darwin’s insight: if humans can select traits in domesticated species, perhaps nature (via environmental pressures) could similarly select traits over long time scales, driving evolutionary change. The example of pigeon breeding is a classic illustration used to explain how differential reproduction leads to trait changes over generations.

Option 4: 'It's the selection of traits through environmental pressures alone, which Darwin thought was the main driver of species change.'
This option conflates artificial selection with natural selection. While natural selection involves environmental pressures, artificial selection specifically involves human choice and intervention. Saying it operates through environmental pressures alone ignores the intentional human component central to artificial selection and misrepresents Darwin’s distinction between human-directed selection and natural processes.

In summary, each option presents a distinct interpretation. Options 1 and 4 mix elements of artificial and natural selection but introduce conceptual inaccuracies about the role of humans and creators. Option 2 misstates the methodological basis of artificial selection and Darwin’s historical context. Option 3 accurately describes artificial selection and its reasoning relevance to Darwin’s thinking about evolution, using the pigeons example to illustrate how intentional selection by humans parallels natural processes over long periods.

ANTH101 #73038 Online (Fall 2025) Exam 1

What is artificial selection? How did it influence Charles Darwin's ideas about evolution?

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