Question

Natural selection favors certain alleles. What is the most general specification of the kind of alleles that selection will favor? Select one: a. Alleles that build traits that promote the survival of the species. b. Alleles that build traits that decrease infant mortality. c. Alleles that build traits that increase the number of offspring that an individual produces in his or her lifetime. d. Alleles that, by any mechanism, are better at getting into the next generation than their alternative alleles. e. Alleles that make the organism sexy.

Answer 1

The correct option is d. Alleles that, by any mechanism, are better at getting into the next generation than their alternative alleles.

Natural selection acts on observable features or phenotypes of organisms. When a phenotype is produced by certain alleles that help organisms to survive and reproduce. Natural selection can increase the frequency of the helpful alleles from one generation to the next generation. Natural selection can act on traits, which is determined by alternative alleles of a single gene or on polygenic traits. Natural selection cannot build traits. It can only act upon existing variation to adapt populations and promote survival of individuals with different traits over time.