Question

The population of an allele can be increased through natural selection when

• A. Individuals with the allele are better able to find food.
• B. Individuals with the allele are better able to resist disease.
• C. Individuals with the allele have an increased ability to find and retain mates.
• D. Individuals with the allele produce more offspring that reach adulthood.
• E. Individuals with the allele have a longer lifespan than those without it.

Answer 1

The correct option is D Individuals with the allele produce more offspring that reach adulthood.

Natural selection favors the alleles that impart evolutionary fitness to individuals. Evolutionary fitness refers to the possession of characters that impart a reproductive advantage to individual over others. So, the alleles that impart an ability to produce more viable offspring would be selected by natural selection leading to increasing in their number in the population. Thus, the correct answer is option D.