Does co-evolution contribute to natural selection?

Answer 1

Yes. In a predator/prey environment, a fast predator puts a selective pressure on the population of their pray so that the fastest of the prey elude and survive. The faster predators can catch prey and the ones that don't die, so only the fastest of the predators survive... and it cycles this way so that only the fastest of the animals survives.

The same works for other situations. For example, birds develop better and better eye sight to spot their prey who are getting better and better at camouflaging themselves.

Answer 2

Yes, co-evolution can contribute to natural selection by driving the adaptation of one species in response to changes in another species, such as in predator-prey relationships or mutualistic interactions. This ongoing reciprocal evolutionary process can lead to the selection of traits that improve the fitness of both species involved.