Question

A population of Hemiptera has individuals w long legs that are able to run away from ants. Individuals w short legs are also able to survive attacks by ants by pressing into the ground. Through time, long legs and short legs increase in number. What type of selection is exhibited?

Answer 1

The Hemiptera population exhibits disruptive selection, where individuals with either long legs or short legs have survival advantages and thus increase in number.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of selection exhibited by a population of Hemiptera with individuals having either long legs or short legs—both of which increase their chances of survival against ants—is known as disruptive selection.

In disruptive selection, extreme traits at both ends of the spectrum are favored over intermediate traits, leading to an increase in the population of those individuals with the advantageous extreme traits. In the example provided, both long-legged and short-legged Hemiptera individuals have survival advantages, and so both these traits become more common in the population over time. This contrasts with directional selection, which would favor one extreme trait over all others.