Question

Shark pups with the most advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. For example, pups that can hunt and feed with efficiency directly after being born would have an advantageous trait. What is the best prediction of how this will affect the frequency of advantageous traits in future generations?
A) are sharks in the next generation will have those exact traits
B) as long as conditions favor those traits those traits will become increasingly common in future generations
C) regardless of environmental conditions those traits will decrease in frequency in future populations
D) some of those sharks will reproduce and the more advantageous traits will remain in the population at a constant frequency

Answer 1

The answer is B. This is called genetic shift. The pups with advantageous traits are able to survive until the age of reproduction hence able to pass their genes to the next generation. Few and fewer pups with disadvantageous traits will get to reproduce hence the allelic frequencies of the shark population will shift in favour of increased hunting efficiency.