Moderate

During which of the following levels of biological organization can natural selection occur?

Correct answer: B. Individual

  • A. Gene
  • B. Individual
  • C. Group
  • D. All of these

Explanation

Natural selection operates at the individual level because individuals possess traits that can either enhance or hinder their survival and reproduction in a specific environment. Over generations, these traits can fluctuate in frequency. Although genes are essential for transmitting traits to the next generation, they do not undergo natural selection directly. Instead, it is the phenotypic expression of these genes in individuals that is subject to natural selection. Groups, which consist of individuals, do not experience natural selection directly; any apparent effects of selection on groups are actually indirect results of selection acting on the individuals within those groups.

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About Evolution

Evolution describes heritable change in populations over generations through variation, natural selection and adaptation. Lamarckism explains inheritance of acquired characteristics, while Darwinism explains selection of favourable inherited variations; these historical explanations must not be confused with the modern genetic account of evolutionary change.

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