Question

a volcano wipes out the majority of the members of a population of mice. by chance, the surviving members have, on average, darker coloration than the original population. coloration is a heritable trait. if the next generation has darker coloration than the original population, which of the following has occurred in this population?
○ evolution
○ gene flow
○ natural selection
○ all of these have occurred
○ none of these have occurred

Explanation:

• Evolution: Evolution is defined as a change in the genetic composition (allele frequencies) of a population over time. Here, the coloration (a heritable trait, related to genetics) of the mouse population has changed from the original population to the next generation.
• Gene flow: Gene flow is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. There is no indication of mice moving into or out of this population (e.g., no migration of mice from other groups).
• Natural selection: Natural selection is a non - random process where individuals with certain traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. In this case, the change in coloration was due to chance (a volcanic wipe - out, not because darker - colored mice were better adapted in a non - random, selection - based way like avoiding predators better).

Answer:

Evolution