A population of chickens is introduced to an environment that has very hot summers and extremely cold winters. Every year, some chickens die due to the extreme temperatures. The chickens have a range of sizes: small, medium and large.

Every winter, more of the small chickens die than the others due to the extreme cold. Every summer, more of the large chickens die than the others due to the extreme heat.
When the population was first introduced to the new environment, there were equal numbers of each size. After several years, what will the frequency of chicken sizes be in the population?
A. There will be more small chickens
B. There will be more large chickens
C. There will be more medium chickens
D. There will be an equal number of chickens of each size.

1 answer

A. There will be more small chickens

Over time, the small chickens will have a higher mortality rate during the winters, leading to a decrease in their population size compared to the medium and large chickens. As the large chickens have a higher mortality rate during the summers, the population of large chickens will also decrease over time. This will result in the medium chickens having a higher representation in the population compared to the other sizes.