When natural selection favors the two extremes and individuals near the mean have lower fertility rates,this is termed:

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Disruptive selection favors the two extreme phenotypes, leading to a bimodal distribution of traits in a population. This means individuals near the mean have lower fitness and fertility rates, and their traits are selected against. Directional selection, on the other hand, only favors one extreme phenotype, causing a shift in the mean of the trait distribution, while stabilizing selection favors the mean phenotype and reduces the variability in a population. Averaging selection is not a recognized term in evolutionary biology.

When Natural Selection Favors the Two Extremes and Individuals near the Mean