Question

How is exogamy adaptive?

a: it increases the likelihood that disadvantageous alleles will find phenotypic expression and thus be eliminated from the population
b: it impedes peaceful relations among social groups and therefore promotes population expansion
c: it was an important casual factor in the origin of the state
d: it is not adaptive; it is just a cultural construction
e: it increases the number of individuals on whom one can rely in time of need

Answer 1

Exogamy is adaptive because it reduces the probability of inheriting disadvantageous alleles and increases genetic variability, enhancing evolutionary fitness and the population's ability to adapt to environmental changes.

Step-by-step explanation:

Exogamy refers to a mating pattern in which individuals mate with partners outside their own immediate social group, which has adaptive evolution repercussions. This practice is adaptive because it increases the likelihood that disadvantageous alleles will find phenotypic expression and thus be eliminated from the population. It is beneficial as it can reduce the chances of inheriting deleterious alleles that are more likely to be expressed when similar genomes are combined, as happens with assortative mating. Additionally, by increasing genetic variability, exogamy enhances overall evolutionary fitness within a population, enabling it to better adapt to changing environmental pressures. This importation of genetic variety can help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding, such as those seen in the bottleneck effect or founder effect, where rare or harmful alleles become common within isolated populations.