After a drought, a scientist collects dead birds and finds that most of the individuals that did not survive to adulthood have either small or large beaks. Given this pattern, how would you expect selection to act on the population?
A) Selection will not change the mean beak size.
B) Selection will make the mean beak size in the population smaller.
C) Selection will make the mean beak size in the population larger.
D) The entire population will die out.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This pattern suggests stabilizing selection, where individuals with intermediate traits (medium-sized beaks) have higher survival rates, maintaining the mean beak size.

After a Drought, a Scientist Collects Dead Birds and Finds