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A large population of laboratory animals has been allowed to breed randomly for a number of generations. After several generations, 25% of the animals display a recessive trait (aa), the same percentage as at the beginning of the breeding program. The rest of the animals show the dominant phenotype, with heterozygotes indistinguishable from the homozygous dominants.
-What is the most reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the fact that the frequency of the recessive trait (aa)has not changed over time?
A) The population is undergoing genetic drift.
B) The two phenotypes are about equally adaptive under laboratory conditions.
C) The genotype AA is lethal.
D) There has been a high rate of mutation of allele A to allele a.
E) There has been sexual selection favoring allele a.

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If one phenotype was more adaptive than the other, then over time the frequency of the advantageous phenotype would increase and the frequency of the disadvantageous phenotype would decrease. However, in this case, the frequency of the recessive trait has not changed over time, indicating that both phenotypes are about equally adaptive under laboratory conditions.

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