Peahens Prefer to Mate with Peacocks That Have the Brightest

question 70

Multiple Choice

Peahens prefer to mate with peacocks that have the brightest and largest tail displays.The peacock's tail is,in and of itself,a disadvantage to the males.It is large and cumbersome and the males are more easily caught by predators because of it.Given these facts,why isn't the peacock's tail selected against by natural selection?

• A) peacocks lack the mutations to allow selection to work
• B) it is working- peacocks are slowly going extinct
• C) in spite of the disadvantage, peacocks with larger tails leave more offspring
• D) it is selected against but because a peahen gives birth to so many males, the population is not greatly affected
• E) this is one of those mysteries of biology

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Definitions:

Complements In Consumption

Goods that are often used together, where the increase in demand for one leads to an increase in demand for the other.

Supply Curve

A graph showing the relationship between the price of a good and the quantity of the good that producers are willing to sell at that price.

Producer Surplus

The variance between what producers are prepared to take for a product or service and what they end up getting.

Minimum Price

A price floor set by governing bodies, above which a good or service cannot be sold, often implemented to ensure fair compensation for producers.