Which of the following processes would, if it had acted upon a gene, prevent this gene from acting as a reliable molecular clock?
A) neutral mutations
B) genetic drift
C) mutations within introns
D) natural selection

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Natural selection acts on mutations that affect an organism's fitness, causing certain alleles to become more or less common based on their effect on survival and reproduction. This selective pressure can accelerate or decelerate the rate of change in a gene, making it an unreliable molecular clock. Molecular clocks rely on the assumption that mutations accumulate at a relatively constant rate, which is disrupted by natural selection.

Which of the Following Processes Would, If It Had Acted