Question:

Natural selection where more individuals acquire a specific character value other than the mean character value, leads to:

Updated On: May 2, 2025
  • Stabilising change
  • Directional change
  • Disruptive Change
  • Random Change
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The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Natural selection is a process through which species adapt to their environment. It operates on the variation in traits among individuals in a population. When looking into how natural selection can change the distribution of a character value, it's crucial to understand what each type results in:

1. Stabilising Change: This occurs when natural selection favors the mean characteristic value, reducing variation and maintaining the status quo. Individuals with extreme values are eliminated.

2. Directional Change: This form of natural selection occurs when one extreme phenotype is favored over other phenotypes, leading the population mean to shift toward one of the extremes. More individuals in the population acquire a character value other than the current mean.

3. Disruptive Change: In this type of natural selection, extreme values for a trait are favored over intermediate values. This can result in a bimodal distribution of traits within the population.

4. Random Change: This is not a form of natural selection. It generally refers to changes in trait distribution due to random events, such as genetic drift.

Given the context that more individuals acquire a specific character value other than the mean, this suggests a shift towards one of the character extremes.

Therefore, the correct answer is: Directional Change

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Concepts Used:

Evolution

Evolution is a process that occurs in changes in the genetic content of a population over time. Evolutionary change is generally classified into two: microevolution and macroevolution. The process of changes in allele frequencies in a population over time is a microevolutionary process. Three main mechanisms that cause allele frequency change are natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow. On the other hand, macroevolution refers to change at or above the level of the species.