Question

A scientist measures the circumference of acorns in a population of oak trees and discovers that the most common circumference is 2 cm. What would you expect the most common circumference(s) to be after 10 generations of stabilizing selection?

A. 2 cm
B. greater than 2 cm or less than 2 cm
C. greater than 2 cm and less than 2 cm
D. can't tell from the information given

Answer 1

A. 2 cm

Step-by-step explanation:

Stabilizing selection is the type of natural selection that select a non-extreme dominant trait. This trait is commonly present in a generation and it is stable for upcoming generations. No change in these traits occur over time except mutations in the genes. Stabilizing selection does not favor extreme phenotypes and it prefers intermediate phenotypical traits.