In a population of short, ground-dwelling animals, some offspring were produced that were approximately 1 cm taller than others in the population. This group was able to reach slightly higher vegetation than the rest of the population. When these animals grew up, they were able to produce more offspring than other animals in the population. This pattern, where the tallest animals were more likely to survive and reproduce, continued over several generations.Eventually, after many generations, all members of the population were at least 20 cm taller than animals of the original population had been. What does this illustrate?

Question

2) In a population of short, ground-dwelling animais, some offspring were produced that were approximately 1 cm taller than others in the population. This group was able to reach slightly higher vegetation than the rest of the population When these animals grew up, they were able to produce more offspring than other animals in the population. This pattern, where the tallest animals were mo likely to survive and reproduce, continued over several generations. Eventually, after many generations, all members of the population were at least 20 cm talle than animals of the original population had been. What does this illustrate?
Only major differences between parents and offspring can result in future generations that are very different from their ancestors.

Answer 1

This illustrates the concept of natural selection, whereby individuals with certain advantageous traits are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass on those traits to their offspring. Over time, this can lead to significant changes in a population, as seen in the example of the ground-dwelling animals becoming significantly taller over generations due to the selective pressure of reaching higher vegetation.