You are monitoring a quantitative trait in a population of butterflies over multiple generations. Your professor tells you that the trait is evolving by natural selection in this population. However, there is no change in mean fitness over time. What type(s) of selection could be occurring in this population and how could you tell what type of selection is happening?
Added by Roy C.
Your feedback will help us improve your experience
Kaela Piechowicz and 64 other Biology educators are ready to help you.
Ask a new question
Labs
Want to see this concept in action?
Explore this concept interactively to see how it behaves as you change inputs.
Key Concepts
Recommended Videos
Take a look at the following diagram: Selection against both extremes Population after selection Original population Let's say you are measuring antennae length in moths, and as noted in the graph the area under the dotted line represents a population before selection, and under the blue curve after selection. We can say the following about this population: it has undergone disruptive selection moth antennae after selection have a larger range of sizes because selection always selects for more variation this is an example of stabilizing selection The moth antennae average and variation change because of sexual selection
Kaela P.
What type of natural selection causes the average value of a trait in a population to steadily increase or decrease, while keeping variation around that mean generally constant? Convergence Divergence Diversifying selection Directional selection
Danielle A.
In a hypothetical species of butterfly, wing spots are controlled by a single locus where BB individuals have blue spots, YY individuals have yellow spots, and BY individuals have green spots. Ten years ago, a previous collector randomly collected 1000 butterflies and reported finding 90 blues, 420 greens, and 490 yellows. You collect 40 blues, 320 greens, and 640 yellows. Has there been evolution in this population? If yes, is natural selection involved? Explain and justify your answers.
Adi S.
Recommended Textbooks
Biology for AP Courses
Objective Biology for NEET
Introduction to General, Organic and Biochemistry
Transcript
18,000,000+
Students on Numerade
Trusted by students at 8,000+ universities
Watch the video solution with this free unlock.
EMAIL
PASSWORD