selectionist
/səˈlɛkʃənɪst/
noun
- A person who believes that natural selection is the main mechanism of evolution.
- As a selectionist, she emphasizes adaptation in her research on bird beaks.
- The biologist is a well-known selectionist who argues against neutral theories of evolution.
- Selectionists and neutralists have debated the role of random mutations for decades.
Synonyms
Antonyms
adjective
- Relating to the theory that natural selection is the primary driver of evolution.
- Many textbooks present a selectionist account of the development of antibiotic resistance.
- The selectionist view explains why certain traits become more common over time.
- His selectionist approach focuses on how environmental pressures shape species.