Question

What does the same mutation causing the short-legged phenotype in different unrelated breeds tell us about the ancestral wolf-like population?

A) Wolves had short legs.
B) The mutation is recent and artificial.
C) Short legs are a dominant trait.
D) The mutation occurred independently in each breed.

Answer 1

The same mutation causing the short-legged phenotype in different unrelated breeds likely occurred independently in each breed, suggesting that it is recent and artificial and not a characteristic that wolves had.

Step-by-step explanation:

The same mutation causing the short-legged phenotype in different unrelated breeds tells us that the mutation likely occurred independently in each breed. This suggests that the mutation is not a characteristic that wolves had, but rather a result of separate breeding practices in each breed. The presence of the same mutation in different breeds also suggests that the mutation is recent and artificial, as it is not a trait that was present in the ancestral wolf-like population.