Florida Biology EOC Practice Test 2025 - Free Biology End-of-Course Practice Questions and Study Guide

Selective breeding refers to the intentional mating of organisms with the aim of producing offspring that exhibit specific desirable traits, such as size, color, or resistance to disease. This practice is widely used in agriculture and animal husbandry to enhance certain characteristics in crops and livestock, ensuring that the offspring inherit traits that are beneficial for productivity or utility.

In contrast to randomly selecting organisms for breeding, which could yield unpredictable results, selective breeding focuses on choosing individuals that possess the traits of interest. This approach enables breeders to guide the genetic characteristics of future generations in a controlled manner.

Natural selection, while a crucial component of evolution, operates without human intervention and allows organisms that are better adapted to their environments to reproduce successfully over time. Additionally, cross-breeding between different species is a more complex process that can lead to hybrid organisms and is not the same as selective breeding, which typically occurs within a species.