Question

what type of selective pressure is this: when a small group of deer migrated to a cold mountain, the thin - furred deer and average - furred deer died. the thick - furred deer survived and eventually the new population became thicker - furred. the group of deer that stayed in the warmer climate did not become thicker - furred.
options:
stabilizing
disruptive / diversified
directional

Explanation:

1. Recall the types of natural selection:

• Stabilizing selection: Favors intermediate phenotypes, reducing variation.
• Disruptive (diversifying) selection: Favors extreme phenotypes, increasing variation (two distinct groups).
• Directional selection: Favors one extreme phenotype, shifting the population mean.

1. Analyze the scenario: Deer migrated to a cold mountain. Thin - furred and average - furred deer died; thick - furred deer survived and the population shifted toward the thick - furred (extreme) phenotype. This matches directional selection, where the population's trait distribution shifts in one direction (toward thicker fur).

Answer:

Directional