Question

Consider the following scenario:

An animal is born with a shorter tail. This makes no difference to its ability to survive or reproduce, but as a result of pure luck, the animal survives, reproduces, and passes its shorter tail down to its offspring. Over time, the species develops a shorter tail.

What type of process is described in this scenario?

(1 point)
Responses

genetic drift
genetic drift

artificial selection
artificial selection

genetic modification
genetic modification

natural selection

Answer 1

The process described in the scenario is **genetic drift**.

Genetic drift refers to random changes in allele frequencies within a population, particularly in small populations. In this case, the shorter tail trait persisted and was passed down purely by chance, rather than through selection for survival or reproduction benefits.