Question

question 8 of 25
african elephants have few predators other than lions and crocodiles.
however, humans have long hunted them for their ivory tusks. female african
elephants exist in two variants. one variant has long tusks, which they use for
defense and gathering food. the other variant has no tusks.
in an elephant population that is frequently hunted for tusks, what is most
likely to be true?
a. the elephants with tusks will be more likely to survive and
produce offspring that also have tusks.
b. the tuskless elephants will be more likely to survive and produce
offspring that are also tuskless.
c. both variants will become well adapted and will reproduce in equal
numbers.
d. both variants will have poor chances of survival and will be
unlikely to reproduce.
submit

Explanation:

Since humans hunt elephants for their ivory tusks, elephants with tusks are at a higher risk of being killed. Tuskless elephants, on the other hand, are less likely to be targeted by hunters. This means that tuskless elephants have a better chance of surviving and passing on their genes (including the genes for tusklessness) to their offspring. Over time, this natural selection (in this case, due to human hunting pressure) will lead to an increase in the proportion of tuskless elephants in the population.

Answer:

B. The tuskless elephants will be more likely to survive and produce offspring that are also tuskless.