Final answer:
All examples describe artificial selection, a process where humans selectively breed animals to enhance desired traits, different from natural selection which occurs without human intervention.
Step-by-step explanation:
All the examples provided describe artificial selection, which is a process where humans breed animals with specific traits to enhance or establish those traits in the resulting offspring. In the examples, the kennel owners are selecting which animals to breed based on their ability to catch rats or birds, thereby intentionally influencing the genetic traits of the dogs and cats for better hunting abilities. This method of breeding is analogous to the way farmers might select and breed cows that produce abundant high-quality milk.
Artificial selection is driven by human preference and intervention, distinguishing it from natural selection, where environmental pressures determine which traits are advantageous, influencing survival and reproduction without human involvement. Charles Darwin recognized artificial selection as a model to understand natural selection, noting that if humans can change species through breeding over time, then nature can, through selection pressures, lead to the evolution of species over longer timescales.