Meanings
nounorthoselection (uncountable)
- historicaluncountableevolutionary theoryThe hypothesis that posits that orthogenesis works by means of natural selection.
- uncountablebiologyThe acquisition of a common series of rearrangements within a genetic lineage.
Therefore, there is evidence that orthoselection (sensu White, 1973) takes place in a karyotypic format in some lineages and particular formats in others, and could be associated with specific adaptive values that have obvious evolutionary connotations.
"Chromosomal Changes and Stasis in Marine Fish Groups" in Fish Cytogenetics, Wagner Franco Molina, p. 83
Origin
From ortho- + selection, originally coined by Ludwig Plate in 1913.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
orthoselection. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orthoselection
MLA
“orthoselection.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orthoselection. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “orthoselection,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/orthoselection.
Source: orthoselection on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.