Question

Blue poppies native to china were grown at a plant-breeding center in california. the plants with the thickest leaves were most likely to survive and reproduce in the drier climate. after several generations, the percentage of thick-leaved plants had increased by 42%. this adaptation of the poppies to their new environment is due to __________. view available hint(s) blue poppies native to china were grown at a plant-breeding center in california. the plants with the thickest leaves were most likely to survive and reproduce in the drier climate. after several generations, the percentage of thick-leaved plants had increased by 42%. this adaptation of the poppies to their new environment is due to __________. genetic drift neutral variation disruptive selection directional selection stabilizing selection

Answer 1

I believe this adaptation of the blue poppies to their environment is due to directional selection.  Directional selection refers to the mode of natural selection in which an extreme phenotype is favored over other phenotypes, causing the allele frequency to shift over time in the direction of the favored phenotype. In our case the plants with the thickest leaves were favored as they were more adaptable and in the end there was a shift to this characteristic by other plants.