Natural selection is a process by which certain traits or characteristics of a population benefit from an environment. For example, white rabbits will be more difficult to hunt in a snowy environment and therefore will survive longer and reproduce and generate offspring. However, natural selection is not always so simple and benefits one or more traits. In this case, the types of selection are directional, stabilizing, and diversifying:
Diversifying selection benefits traits that are found in lower proportions within a population.
Stabilizing selection benefits the most common trait in the population.
Directional selection benefits only one of the least common traits in the population