Which statement is accurate about natural selection?

Question

1. Natural selection does not impact reproduction rates.
2. Natural selection cannot inactivate genes.
3. Natural selection does not change the alleles an organism has.
4. Natural selection cannot occur through mutations.

Answer 1

The most accurate statement about natural selection from the options provided is:

3. Natural selection does not change the alleles an organism has.

Natural selection acts on the existing alleles within a population by favoring individuals with traits that enhance their survival and reproduction in a given environment, but it does not change the alleles themselves at the individual level. Instead, it influences the frequency of alleles in the population over generations.

The other statements are incorrect:

1. Natural selection can indeed impact reproduction rates by favoring individuals that reproduce more successfully.
2. Natural selection does not inactivate genes directly, but it can affect the prevalence of genes in a population over time.
3. Natural selection does not occur through mutations; rather, mutations provide the genetic variation on which natural selection acts.