Question

Evolutionary biologists have observed variation in the average age and size of mature individuals in a population of small freshwater guppies Guppies found in pools with pike cichlids- a predator fish that preys primarily on larger guppies-reproduce at a young age and are small at maturity. Guppies found in pools with killifish -a different predator fish that preys primarily on smaller guppies-reproduce at an older age and are larger at maturity Which of the following predicts the most likely outcome of moving a population of guppies from a pool with pike cichlids to a pool with killifish?

(A) The introduced guppy population will remain phenotypically similar to the original population because the killifish will not recognize them as prey
(B) Because the introduced population was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, successive generations in the new population will continue to display the same allele frequencies as the original population.
(C) After many generations, the offspring of the introduced guppies will mature at an older age and larger size because of selective pressure from the new predator
(D) Within two or three generations, the introduced guppies will become extinct because the killifish prefer the juveniles

Answer 1

C. After many generations, the offspring of the introduced guppies with mature at an older age and larger size because of selective pressure from the new predator.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the above scenario evolutionary biologists found variation in guppies with average age and size due to selective pressure from the predators including pike cichlids and killifish. As cichlids preys larger guppies primarily and killifish preys smaller guppies but with killifish, it has been found that guppies reproduced at older age and larger at maturity.

So, because of selective pressure, the new generation of guppies will be mature at an older age with increase in size.