What term describes humans breeding organisms to obtain desirable phenotypes?

• A. Artificial selection
• B. Natural selection
• C. Genetic engineering
• D. Mutation

Answer: (A)

Artificial selection is when humans breed organisms to obtain desirable phenotypes. By picking individuals that show the traits we want—such as bigger fruits, calmer behavior, or higher yield—and allowing them to reproduce, those traits become more common in the population over generations. This is how many crops and domestic animals have been shaped: people select for features they find useful or appealing and gradually amplify them through successive breeding.

This differs from natural selection, which happens without human input: the environment naturally favors certain traits, and those individuals leave more offspring, increasing those traits in the population. It also differs from genetic engineering, where specific genes are directly modified in an organism using laboratory techniques rather than choosing which existing individuals reproduce. And it’s different from mutation, which is random DNA change that can introduce new traits but isn’t a controlled process of selecting and breeding to enhance desirable features.