unnatural selection
- noun
- /ʌnˈnætʃərəl sɪˈlɛkʃən/
- Specialized
:
selección artificial
- In the context of wildlife conservation, unnatural selection may occur when humans intervene to protect certain species from extinction.
Examples
-
Unnatural selection.
Academic text (2009) -
If art is "unnatural" variation, science is "unnatural" selection.
Academic text (2009) -
Might I be forgiven for expressing a hope that somebody will engage in a bit of unnatural selection in an effort to produce the first millipede actually worthy of the name?
Blog text (20) -
Selective breeding in agriculture is an example of unnatural selection, where humans choose specific traits to enhance in crops.
-
Through unnatural selection, scientists modify genetic traits to create animals that can better adapt to captivity.
Antonyms
- Specialized
43
3.9
A process in which plants and animals better suited to their home survive and have more young
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is compositionally regular: 'unnatural' means contrary to natural, and 'selection' denotes a choosing or filtering process, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer 'selection that is not natural' — i.e., selection driven by human or artificial factors. This interpretation follows ordinary English compounding and is cross-linguistically transparent, so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Unnatural selection creates a clear image: the word selection means choosing, but with unnatural it means people are doing the choosing, not nature. Imagine a farmer picking the biggest vegetables or a trend that makes people choose certain looks. That's why it means situations where 'human' choices or man-made rules, rather than the natural environment, decide which traits continue.