In a population of mice, individuals with medium brown fur are less likely to be seen by predators than light brown and dark brown mice. What type of selection is this, and what would the distribution curve for the mouse population look like? (1 point)

Question

In a population of mice, individuals with medium brown fur are less likely to be seen by predators than light brown and dark brown mice. What type of selection is this, and what would the distribution curve for the mouse population look like? (1 point)
• disruptive; two peaks at either end of the graph with a dip in the middle
• disruptive; a tall, narrow peak in the center of the graph
• stabilizing; a tall, narrow peak in the center of the graph
• stabilizing; two peaks at either end of the graph with a dip in the middle

GPT-4o mini · Answer

This scenario describes **stabilizing selection**, where individuals with medium brown fur have a selective advantage over those with light and dark brown fur. This selection type typically reduces variation by favoring the average phenotype—the medium brown fur in this case—while extreme traits are selected against. The distribution curve for the mouse population in this scenario would look like **a tall, narrow peak in the center of the graph**. The correct answer is: **• stabilizing; a tall, narrow peak in the center of the graph**.