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Fecundity selection, also known as fertility selection, is the process by which differential reproductive success among individuals in a population is the result of phenotypic traits that contribute to the production of a higher number of offspring per reproductive episode. The theory of fecundity selection was formulated by Charles Darwin between 1871 and 1874. Along with the theories of natural selection and sexual selection, fecundity selection is a fundamental component of the modern theory of Darwinian selection. Fecundity selection is a distinct phenomenon from the viability of the progeny.
It can be a complex matter to interpret whether sexual dimorphism in animals is due to fecundity selection or to sexual selection.
Fecundity selection is important in populations of flowering plants where self-incompatibility systems mean that pollen from some potential mates will not be effective in forming seed. A population with genetic diversity in the self-incompatibility system will produce more offspring per plant than one with little diversity.