Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes h...

Natural selection can depend on how common or rare a phenotype is in a population. This is called frequency-dependent selection. Here, a phenotype’s fitness, or the ability to survive and reproduce, depends on its frequency in the population.

In positive frequency-dependent selection, as a phenotype becomes more common, its fitness within ...