The mode of natural selection in which extreme phenotypes are less fit than the optimal intermediate phenotype is

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Stabilizing selection is the mode of natural selection in which extreme phenotypes are less fit than the optimal intermediate phenotype. This means that individuals with intermediate traits have the highest fitness and are more likely to survive and reproduce, while those with extreme traits are less fit and are less likely to survive and reproduce. As a result, stabilizing selection tends to decrease the overall variation in a population, as extreme phenotypes are selected against.

The Mode of Natural Selection in Which Extreme Phenotypes Are