Selection factor

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A selection factor is an environmental factor that has an influence on the fitness ( reproductive success ) of an individual. Selection factors influence which path evolution ( evolutionary biology ) and distribution ( biogeography , ecology ) of a species takes.

A distinction is essentially made between biotic , abiotic , sexual and artificial selection factors :

• Abiotic selection factors are those that act from the inanimate environment ; for example: light ( brightness ), temperature , pressure , humidity , wind conditions , nutrients, etc.
• Biotic selection factors are those that come from other living beings . A distinction is made between species selection (e.g. through predators or parasites ) and intra-species selection (e.g. through competition for food, sexual partners or breeding grounds).
• Sexual selection factors are those that result from the competition for mating partners within a species, from competition between members of one sex, or from selection by the other sex. It is therefore a special case of intraspecific, biotic selection factors.
• Artificial selection factors are those that go back to human selection; for example in the breeding of pets .

Selection factors exert constant pressure on the development of a population; this is also referred to as selection pressure .

An example of a selection factor: On islands with constant strong storms like the Kerguelen , wingless flies develop - they are less easily blown away. The constant storm is a decisive, abiotic selection factor here. In arid deserts, heat and water scarcity are two important selection factors; in polar regions, the cold and the white color of the soil.