Which form of natural selection favors the extremes at both ends of a distribution curve?

Which form of natural selection favors the extremes at both ends of a distribution curve?

• A. Stabilizing Selection
• B. Sexual Selection
• C. Disruptive Selection
• D. Intrasexual Selection

Answer: (C)

Disruptive selection favors extremes at both ends of a trait distribution, giving higher fitness to individuals with extreme values and lower fitness to those near the mean. This can split the population into two groups, each adapted to a different niche or resource. Over time, the curve becomes bimodal, reflecting those two favored extremes. Stabilizing selection, by contrast, promotes the average, reducing variation. Sexual selection centers on traits that improve mating success and can create exaggerated features but doesn’t inherently push the entire distribution toward both extremes. Intrasexual selection involves competition within one sex and tends to enhance traits that help win mates or fights rather than broad shifts in a trait’s distribution.

Disruptive selection favors extremes at both ends of a trait distribution, giving higher fitness to individuals with extreme values and lower fitness to those near the mean. This can split the population into two groups, each adapted to a different niche or resource. Over time, the curve becomes bimodal, reflecting those two favored extremes.

Stabilizing selection, by contrast, promotes the average, reducing variation. Sexual selection centers on traits that improve mating success and can create exaggerated features but doesn’t inherently push the entire distribution toward both extremes. Intrasexual selection involves competition within one sex and tends to enhance traits that help win mates or fights rather than broad shifts in a trait’s distribution.