Suppose That the Only Remaining Population of a Certain Reptile

question 4

Multiple Choice

Suppose that the only remaining population of a certain reptile species lives on an African mountain and that there is no migration out of this large but isolated population. Which of the following describes the most likely future of this reptile population?

• A) Evolution will promptly cease.
• B) The bottleneck effect will cause major evolutionary changes in the isolated population.
• C) The population will survive only as long as the environment remains constant.
• D) The population will go extinct after a few generations because of inbreeding.
• E) Evolution will continue because of mutations, assortative mating, and genetic drift.

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Definitions:

Market Price

The prevailing price for transactions involving an asset or service in a certain market.

Purely Competitive

A market structure characterized by many buyers and sellers, free entry and exit from the market, and a homogeneous product, where no single buyer or seller can influence the market price.

Maximized Profits

Maximized profits refer to the maximum earnings a firm can achieve when the difference between total revenue and total cost is greatest.

Purely Competitive

A market structure characterized by a large number of sellers and buyers, homogeneous products, and free entry and exit from the market.