What might be a potential outcome of disruptive selection?

Disruptive selection can lead to the emergence of two or more distinct phenotypes within a population by favoring individuals at both extremes of a phenotypic range while selecting against the average traits. This process can result in increased differences between groups in a population, potentially leading to speciation. When individuals with extreme traits are better adapted to differing environmental conditions or niches, they can diverge significantly from one another.

As these extremes are favored, reproduction between individuals with intermediate traits may decrease, reinforcing the separation. Over time, this can lead to the formation of new species, as the extremes become reproductively isolated from one another. The process enhances the diversity of traits within the population, setting the stage for further evolutionary change and adaptation to varied environments. Thus, the potential outcome of speciation due to varying extreme traits accurately reflects how disruptive selection operates in evolutionary contexts.