A population of woodpeckers have beak lengths ranging from 2cm-4cm. Woodpeckers with beaks closer to 3cm are better adapted to drilling into trees to find food. The population of w... A population of woodpeckers have beak lengths ranging from 2cm-4cm. Woodpeckers with beaks closer to 3cm are better adapted to drilling into trees to find food. The population of woodpeckers now predominantly has beaks closer to 3cm. What type of natural selection is this? A) Directional Selection B) Disruptive Selection C) Random Selection D) Stabilizing Selection
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about the type of natural selection that has favored woodpeckers with beak lengths closer to 3cm, suggesting a preference for an average trait in the population. This suggests we need to identify the correct type of natural selection from the given options.
Answer
D) Stabilizing Selection
The final answer is D) Stabilizing Selection
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is D) Stabilizing Selection
More Information
Stabilizing selection occurs when individuals with intermediate phenotypes have higher fitness than those with extreme phenotypes, leading to a decrease in variation around the intermediate phenotype. In this case, woodpeckers with beak lengths closer to 3 cm are favored.
Tips
A common mistake is confusing stabilizing selection with directional selection. Directional selection favors one extreme phenotype, while stabilizing selection favors the intermediate phenotype.
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