G6PD deficiency is an inherited condition in which the body doesn't have enough of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase,
or G6PD, which helps red blood cells (RBCs) function normally. G6PD deficiency is most common in African-American males. Many females are carriers. It is known that Africa and the Mediterranean basin are high-risk areas for the infectious disease malaria. Researchers have found evidence that the parasite that causes malaria does not survive well in G6PD-deficient cells. How can you explain this? A) Natural selection favors G6PD deficiency as compared to malaria.
B) Genetic drift is responsible for greater occurrence of G6PD deficiency in these regions.
C) Somatic mutations lead to G6PD deficiency in malaria-inflicted regions.
Answer: A, Natural selection favors G6PD deficiency as compared to malaria.
Explanation:
We can eliminate B. This is because genetic drifts are changes in genes due to chance. The changes in the genes of the African Americans were not due to chance because there was a cause: malaria.
We can also eliminate C. This is because somatic mutations are mutations that can occur in every cell except the germ cells (sperm, egg), therefore meaning that the mutations that occur cannot be passed onto the offspring.
