Genetics Extensions of Mendelian Inheritance Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide on Mendelian Inheritance Extensions

Artificial selection aims to breed individuals for specific, desired traits or characteristics. This process involves selecting parent organisms with particular phenotypes and breeding them to pass on those traits to their offspring. By controlling which individuals reproduce, breeders can enhance certain qualities in plants and animals, such as size, color, resilience, or productivity, according to human preferences and needs.

In contrast, promoting natural mating patterns would allow for the continuation of the existing genetic diversity and traits present in a population without intervention, which diverges from the purpose of artificial selection. Eliminating genetic diversity is contrary to the goals of breeding for desired traits because a lack of genetic diversity can lead to inbreeding and reduced resilience to disease or environmental changes. Maintaining the status quo in natural populations does not reflect the goal of actively manipulating genetic outcomes through selective breeding; rather, it implies no intervention in the natural evolutionary processes.