Natural selection can act on both ________, which is the probability of survival, and ________, which is the number of offspring produced.
A) epistasis; epigenetics
B) directional selection, frequency-dependent selection
C) livelihood; income
D) viability; fecundity

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Natural selection can act on the viability, or probability of survival, of individuals in a population as well as their fecundity, or the number of offspring they produce. This is because individuals who are more likely to survive and produce more offspring will pass on more of their advantageous traits to the next generation, leading to changes in the overall characteristics of the population over time. Epistasis and epigenetics are not directly related to natural selection, while directional selection and frequency-dependent selection are specific types of natural selection rather than the general concepts of viability and fecundity. Livelihood and income are also not relevant to natural selection.

Natural Selection Can Act on Both ________, Which Is the Probability