Question

instructions read the passage and answer the following question(s). lizard body color lizard body color and survival the chart below shows the body color distribution in a lizard population over 30 generations. a single gene controls the color of the lizards bodies. two genetic mutations occurred in the original population that resulted in red and black body color. the initial population lived in a sandy environment. color distribution in lizard population over 30 generations multiple choice 10 points which pair best identifies the cause and effect of the changes observed in the lizard population over 30 generations? cause: gene mutation; effect: red body color cause: changing environment; effect: shift in distribution of lizard color cause: shift in distribution of lizard color; effect: changing environment cause: red body color; effect: gene mutation

Explanation:

The problem presents a chart showing lizard body - color distribution changes over generations. The initial population had red, brown, and black lizards. As generations passed, the red - bodied lizards disappeared (from 10% to 0% by Generation 10), and the black - bodied lizards increased (from 10% to 60% by Generation 30). The passage mentions that the initial population lived in a sandy environment. A single gene controls the color, and mutations occurred.
Natural selection (due to the environment) is likely at play. The changing environment (sandy) may have favored lizards with colors (black, which could potentially be better camouflaged compared to red, assuming some environmental change that made red less favorable) and led to a shift in the color distribution. A gene mutation could have introduced or affected the expression of the black color trait. But the key is that the environmental change (implied by the survival and reproduction differences among color variants) caused a shift in the color distribution.

Answer:

Cause: changing environment; Effect: shift in distribution of lizard color