Over generations, female reindeer in a Finnish population give birth to larger offspring. Which type of selection is occurring, and how would a distribution curve for this trait change over time? (1 point)

Question

• directional selection; the curve would shift to the right
• directional selection; the curve would shift to the left
• stabilizing selection; the curve would become taller in the middle
• stabilizing selection; the curve would become shorter in the middle

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

• directional selection; the curve would shift to the right.

In this scenario, since female reindeer are giving birth to larger offspring over generations, this indicates that larger size is being favored. This is characteristic of directional selection, where one extreme phenotype (in this case, larger offspring) is favored over others. As a result, over time, the distribution curve for this trait would shift to the right, indicating an increase in the average size of the offspring.