A dairy farmer allowed only his best milk producing cows to mate. In succeeding generations of cows: milk production increased. This outcome is an example o...

A dairy farmer allowed only his best milk producing cows to mate. In succeeding generations of cows: milk production increased. This outcome is an example of

Answer Details

The outcome of increased milk production in succeeding generations of cows is an example of artificial selection. Artificial selection is the process of selective breeding by humans in which desirable traits are chosen and bred in animals or plants. In this case, the dairy farmer allowed only the best milk producing cows to mate, which increased the likelihood that their offspring would inherit those desirable traits and produce more milk. Over time, by repeating this process of selective breeding, the farmer was able to produce a group of cows that were highly specialized for milk production. Natural selection, on the other hand, refers to the process by which organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and pass on their traits to their offspring in a natural environment, without human intervention. Competition and cross fertilization are not directly related to the outcome of increased milk production in this scenario.