Question

Match the type of selection with the example. **Why is each its respective match?**

Directional Selection	Stabilizing Selection
Disruptive Selection	Negative Frequency Dependent Selection

A) Squirrels that learn fastest have the most offspring

B) Squirrels feed on acorns or birdseed. When most squirrels feed on acorns, those that eat birdseed have the highest fitness (and vise versa)

C) Long ears attract the most mates. Short ears improve survival in the winter. Medium sized ears provide neither benefit.

D) Squirrels that have very long tails are captured by predators. Squirrels that have very short tails lose their balance

Answer 1

(A) squirrel which learn fastest have most offsprings is a example of directional selection.because in this type of selection the extreme character is selected by nature because that extreme character help the individual most.so the squirrel which have the ability to learn fastest will leave the most offsprings and the frequency that character will increase in the population generation by generation.

(B) It is a example of negative frequency dependent selection.In this process any character(genotype or phenotype) which become more common in the population,the fitness of that character decrease.As more squirrel feed on acorn their fitness get reduced as birdseed feeding squirrel are less.so those birdseed feeding squirrel have highest fitness.

(C) This is a example of disruptive selection. Because in this type of selection the extreme character is selected by nature. Here short as well as long ear individual have some advantage which hello there to survive in nature. But medium size ear individual have no advantage.so nature will eliminate that character from population.after few generation only two extreme character will exist.

(D) this is a example of stabilizing selection where the medium character is selected by nature.as both the extreme character of tail size (very long and very short) have some disadvantage their number will decrease in the population day by day.so by selection process the medium tail size squirrel number will increase in the population so they have greatest frquency in the population.