Question

There is a population of beetles that typically have black wings. A scientist studying these beetles knows that their eggs hatch in early spring, the young insects grow through the late spring and summer, they lay eggs in the early fall, and they die in the early winter. Recently some beetles have been born with white wings. Early in life, the black- and white-winged beetles seem to be very similar in number of mating events, eggs laid, and survival rates, but shortly after laying their eggs the white beetles die and there are only black-winged beetles during the late fall. What is a true statement about the beetles?

Answer 1

White-and black-winged beetles have equal fitness.

Step-by-step explanation:

As both the white and black-winged beetles can successfully mate and lay eggs having equal survival rates, this shows that both the kinds of beetles have the same level of fitness in the environment.

The fitness of an organism depends on its ability to survive and reproduce. As the description in the question shows, both the beetles were able to survive and lay eggs in an equal manner. This shows that both the clack and the white-winged beetles have an equal level of fitness.