Consider the following scenario:

Question

An animal is born with a shorter tail. This makes no difference to its ability to survive or reproduce, but as a result of pure luck, the animal survives, reproduces, and passes its shorter tail down to its offspring. Over time, the species develops a shorter tail.

What type of process is described in this scenario?

(1 point)
Responses

genetic modification
genetic modification

artificial selection
artificial selection

genetic drift
genetic drift

natural selection

Answer 1

The process described in the scenario is genetic drift.

This is because the change in tail length is due to random chance (pure luck) rather than any selective advantage or disadvantage. Genetic drift refers to random changes in allele frequencies in a population, which can lead to traits becoming more or less common over time regardless of their effect on survival or reproduction. In this case, the shorter tail does not confer any advantage or disadvantage to the animal's survival or reproduction, aligning with the concept of genetic drift.