Over many generations man has chosen certain desirable characteristics in dogs by allowing dogs possessing those characteristics to reproduce. In this way, 150 breeds of dogs, all in the same species, have descended from wolves. This process is referred to as
A) natural selection.
B) inheritance of acquired traits.
C) artificial selection.
D) convergent evolution.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Artificial selection is the process of selecting and breeding animals with desirable traits by humans. In this case, humans have chosen certain desirable characteristics in dogs and allowed dogs possessing those characteristics to reproduce, which has resulted in the creation of 150 breeds of dogs from wolves. This process is not natural selection as it is driven by human selection, and it is not inheritance of acquired traits as the desirable traits are not acquired during the life of the dog but are instead inherited genetically. Convergent evolution refers to the process where different species independently evolve similar traits in response to similar environmental pressures, which is not the case here either.

Over Many Generations Man Has Chosen Certain Desirable Characteristics in Dogs