How Could the Appearance of a Version of the Hunger

question 40

Multiple Choice

How could the appearance of a version of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, which also stimulates the learning and memory centers of the brain, lead to natural selection?

• A) Any individual with the "old" version of ghrelin dies so only those with the "new" version reproduce. The "old" version of the gene for ghrelin is removed from the population.
• B) Throughout its life, an individual with the "new" version of ghrelin becomes better at finding food when hungry, and it teaches these skills to its offspring.
• C) Individuals that are able to find more food have more resources and produce more offspring. As a result, the "new" version of ghrelin becomes more common in the population.
• D) When faced with a period of extended drought, a large part of the human population died without regard to their genetic makeup. Many of the survivors happened to have the "new" version of ghrelin and therefore, the gene became more common in the population.

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Definitions:

Populations

A group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in a particular geographic area.

Mutations

Alterations in the DNA sequence that can lead to changes in the structure and function of proteins produced by genes.

Sexual Reproduction

A biological process where organisms reproduce by combining genetic material from two different cells, typically involving male and female gametes.

Darwinʼs Theory

The scientific theory of biological evolution by natural selection, proposed by Charles Darwin, explaining how species evolve over generations through inherited variations.