A Species of Wildflower Grows on Hillsides in Two Locations

question 2

Multiple Choice

A species of wildflower grows on hillsides in two locations.In the first (location A) ,the population is large and diverse,covering a large section of hillside.In the second (location B) ,a small but diverse population grows at the base of a hillside.Severe storms cause extensive mudslides in both areas,killing a large proportion of individuals in both populations.If you were to survey both locations after the surviving flowers have survived and reproduced for several generations,which pattern would you expect to observe?

• A) Both populations would be large and diverse, retaining all of their original alleles in their original frequencies.
• B) Both populations would be very small and genetically uniform, having lost many of their original alleles.
• C) The population in location A would be large and diverse, retaining all of its alleles in their original frequencies. The population in location B would have reduced genetic diversity and different allele frequencies than it did originally.
• D) The population in location A would be large but would show a reduction in genetic diversity and altered allele frequencies. The population in location B, however, would retain its original genetic diversity and allele frequencies.
• E) The population in location A would be large, while the population in location B would be small, but both would be equally diverse genetically and have the same allele frequencies as one another.

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Definitions:

Butterfly Populations

Groups or communities of butterflies, which can serve as indicators of environmental change due to their sensitivity to habitat and climate.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

A principle stating that allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences.

Recessive Allele

Recessive allele refers to an allele that produces its characteristic phenotype only when it is paired with an identical allele (that is, in homozygous states).

Frequency-Dependent Selection

A form of natural selection where the fitness of a phenotype depends on its frequency relative to other phenotypes in the population.