Question

Which of the following statements is false?

a. Natural selection in sexual populations tends to eliminate alleles that increase mutation rates.
b. Recombination destroys adaptive combinations of genes.
c. Sexual selection exists because females produce large and relatively few gametes, while males produce many small gametes.
d. Variation in mating success is generally greater in females than in males.
e. All of the above

Answer 1

The false statement among the provided options is 'Variation in mating success is generally greater in females than in males' because, due to sexual selection, males often have a greater variance in mating success.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question relates to understanding certain concepts in evolution and natural selection. Specifically, the false statement among the provided options is d. Variation in mating success is generally greater in females than in males. This statement is incorrect because it is actually the males that often exhibit a greater variance in mating success than females due to sexual selection.

Males compete for mates, and thus there can be significant differences in the number of offspring between successful and less successful males. In contrast, females typically invest more in producing fewer, larger gametes and are more selective, leading to less variance in their mating success.