Final answer:
The subject question refers to a biological study on the impact of a supergene in determining divergent male reproductive morphs in the ruff, which ties into concepts of genetic variability and sexual selection in evolutionary biology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question references a study on male reproductive morphs in the ruff, a bird species, and specifically focuses on the role of a supergene in creating highly divergent male morphs. In evolutionary biology, morphs are forms of an organism that exist within the same species but display different structural or behavioral characteristics, often as a result of genetic differences. A supergene is a group of neighboring genes on a chromosome that are inherited together because of close genetic linkage and typically collaborate to produce a complex trait. The referenced study likely explores how this supergene influences various aspects of the ruff's morphs, such as morphology, physiology, or ecological preference, and ties into broader discussions in biology about genetic contributions to species variation, sexual selection (as evidenced by the good genes hypothesis), and evolutionary biology principles such as Fisherian runaway model.