Question

Two factors that drive natural selection are listed below:

Percentage of young that survive
Ability to produce offspring
Which statement is true about the two factors?
A. Factor 1 causes genetic variation, and factor 2 causes differential reproductive success.
B. Factor 1 causes differential reproductive success, and factor 2 causes genetic variation.
C. Both factors cause differential reproductive success.
D. Both factors cause genetic variation.

Answer 1

Both factors listed, the percentage of young that survive and the ability to produce offspring, cause differential reproductive success in the context of natural selection. Differential reproductive success is key for natural selection, as it contributes to certain traits becoming more prevalent in a population over time.Hence, option C is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

Two factors that drive natural selection are the percentage of young that survive and the ability to produce offspring. Looking at the options provided and understanding that natural selection is the process by which traits that confer a survival or reproductive advantage become more common in a population over successive generations, the correct answer to which statement is true about these two factors is that both factors cause differential reproductive success. This is because both the percentage of young that survive (Factor 1) and the ability to produce offspring (Factor 2) contribute directly to whether an organism can pass its genetic information to the next generation, which is the essence of reproductive success.