Question
Four different populations of sea stars develop various mutations from their environment. The mutations affect all of the members in each population. The graph shows the different populations of sea stars before and after the mutations.

Which population MOST LIKELY developed a neutral mutation?
A.
Population One
B.
Population Two
C.
Population Three
D.
Population Four
Multiple Choice Question
Part B:
Which statement best supports your choice in Part A?
A.
The mutation genetically changes the sea stars, allowing them to better survive their environment.
B.
The mutation genetically changes the sea stars but does not change how they survive their environment.
C.
The mutation does not genetically change the sea stars, hindering their ability to survive in their environment.
D.
The mutation does not genetically change the sea stars and does not change how they survive their environment.

Which population MOST LIKELY developed a neutral mutation?
A.
Population One
B.
Population Two
C.
Population Three
D.
Population Four
Multiple Choice Question
Part B:
Which statement best supports your choice in Part A?
A.
The mutation genetically changes the sea stars, allowing them to better survive their environment.
B.
The mutation genetically changes the sea stars but does not change how they survive their environment.
C.
The mutation does not genetically change the sea stars, hindering their ability to survive in their environment.
D.
The mutation does not genetically change the sea stars and does not change how they survive their environment.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To determine which population of sea stars most likely developed a neutral mutation, we should look for the population where the mutations did not result in any significant changes in their survival or fitness in their environment.
Given the options:
**Part A:** The population that most likely developed a neutral mutation would be:
**C. Population Three**
This is because, typically in scenarios involving neutral mutations, we would expect the population to show little to no significant difference in traits that would affect survival, unlike populations that show beneficial or harmful changes based on their environmental conditions.
**Part B:** The statement that best supports the choice for Part A is:
**B. The mutation genetically changes the sea stars but does not change how they survive their environment.**
This indicates that while the mutation does occur (genetically changing the sea stars), it does not apply any advantage or disadvantage in terms of survival, fitting the definition of a neutral mutation.
So the answers are:
- Part A: C. Population Three
- Part B: B. The mutation genetically changes the sea stars but does not change how they survive their environment.
Given the options:
**Part A:** The population that most likely developed a neutral mutation would be:
**C. Population Three**
This is because, typically in scenarios involving neutral mutations, we would expect the population to show little to no significant difference in traits that would affect survival, unlike populations that show beneficial or harmful changes based on their environmental conditions.
**Part B:** The statement that best supports the choice for Part A is:
**B. The mutation genetically changes the sea stars but does not change how they survive their environment.**
This indicates that while the mutation does occur (genetically changing the sea stars), it does not apply any advantage or disadvantage in terms of survival, fitting the definition of a neutral mutation.
So the answers are:
- Part A: C. Population Three
- Part B: B. The mutation genetically changes the sea stars but does not change how they survive their environment.