Variance in Reproductive Success Is a Key Driving Factor in Evolution

question 47

Multiple Choice

Variance in reproductive success is a key driving factor in evolution. How does this affect sexual selection in mammals?

• A) Male variance can be much greater than female variance, so males are potentially under very strong sexual selection.
• B) Female variance can be much greater than female variance, so females are potentially under very strong sexual selection.
• C) The level of variance determines the amount of resources shunted into parental investment; the sex with the highest variance produces the most food for offspring.
• D) The sex with the lowest variance, usually mammals, has the highest average number of offspring.

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Definitions:

Parthenogenetic

Relating to a form of reproduction in which an embryo is created without fertilization by a male, occurring in some plants, invertebrates, and rarely vertebrates.

Sperm

The male gamete or reproductive cell involved in sexual reproduction.

Nematodes

A phylum of worms also known as roundworms, characterized by elongated, cylindrical bodies, and often found in soil and aquatic habitats.

Insects

A group of arthropods distinguished by having a body divided into three sections (head, thorax, abdomen), three sets of legs, complex eyes, and a single pair of antennae.