Tibetan highlanders have no trouble living at 13,000 feet above sea level and many Nepalese Sherpas, who are Tibetan, climb parts of Mount Everest without the supplementary oxygen most other people require.

Question

How can we explain this in terms of evolution?
Responses
A The Highlanders fill a niche, much like Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands.The Highlanders fill a niche , much like Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands.
B Because of their small stature, the Highlanders require less oxygen than people who are taller.Because of their small stature, the Highlanders require less oxygen than people who are taller.
C The Highlanders have evolved unique physiological mechanisms for dealing with low oxygen levels.The Highlanders have evolved unique physiological mechanisms for dealing with low oxygen levels.
D The Tibetans split from the Han Chinese population thousands of years ago and became genetically isolated.The Tibetans split from the Han Chinese population thousands of years ago and became genetically isolated.
E The Highlanders have lived in this area for so many generations that they have become acclimatized to the oxygen conditions.
selection for the homozygous dominant (AA)
selection against all genotypes
selection against the heterozygote
selection against the heterozygote and one homozygote

Answer 1

C The Highlanders have evolved unique physiological mechanisms for dealing with low oxygen levels.

This explanation suggests that over time, the Tibetan highlanders have adapted to their high-altitude environment through genetic changes that allow them to thrive in low oxygen conditions. This adaptation could include changes in their blood cells, metabolism, and other physiological processes that help them efficiently utilize oxygen at high altitudes.