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
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.
