Question

stickleback evolution lab final quiz
question 8

1. which of the following is a definition of the process of natural selection?

a. in each generation, some individuals may, just by chance, have more offspring than other individuals and their traits will become more common in that population.

b. more advantageous traits in a particular environment allow individuals with those traits to have more offspring; as a result their heritable traits become more common in succeeding generations of the population.

c. mutations occur at random in a population causing populations to change over time as those mutations are inherited from one generation to the next.

d. only traits that are advantageous in a particular environment are preserved in the fossil record.

Explanation:

• Option A describes genetic drift (random chance in offspring production), not natural selection.
• Option B correctly defines natural selection: advantageous traits in an environment lead to more offspring, and heritable traits become more common over generations.
• Option C focuses on mutations and inheritance but does not capture the selection pressure aspect of natural selection.
• Option D is about fossil record preservation, not the process of natural selection.

Answer:

B. More advantageous traits in a particular environment allow individuals with those traits to have more offspring; as a result their heritable traits become more common in succeeding generations of the population.