Question

Four offsprings, three male and one female are the biological children of a buck with large impressive antlers. Out of the three male offsprings, two of them are killed by wolves before reproduction. Another buck with small antlers produces three male offsprings, all with small antlers. All the offsprings are capable of successful reproduction and escape predators more effectively. The most fit buck is

• A. The buck with the larger antlers because he sired more offspring
• B. The buck with the smaller antlers because more of his offsprings survived
• C. The buck with the larger antlers because he will be more successful at attracting a mate and continuing to reproduce
• D. The buck with the smaller antlers because he is more effective at escaping predators and will continue to reproduce
• E. Both bucks are equally fit

Answer 1

The correct option is B The buck with the smaller antlers because more of his offsprings survived

The key to fitness is not how many children you produce or how long you live, but how much you contribute to the next generation's gene pool. Because the buck with smaller antlers sired three surviving offsprings, and the buck with larger antlers sired only two surviving offsprings, the buck with smaller antlers is more "fit" in the evolutionary sense.

This is an example of natural selection, where the buck with a smaller set of antlers is better adapted to survive. Natural selection: the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offsprings. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin, and it is now regarded as for being the main process that brings about evolution.