Principle of Selection in Animal Breeding

• The principle of selection in animals for breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal males and females will sexually reproduce and have offspring together.
• Once producers understand the requirements of the target market and have developed breeding objectives that are aligned with these requirements, they can begin selecting livestock that meet the breeding objectives.
• In animal breeding, techniques such as inbreeding, linebreeding, and outcrossing are utilized.
• Darwin used artificial selection as a springboard to introduce and support the theory of selection.