Question

Which of the following is an example of diversifying selection?

in different parts of Africa a tasty butterfly species mimicking different distasteful butterfly species

a catastrophe that wipes out nearly 99% of a population

an increase in antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria

The birth weight at which newborn humans are most likely to survive and the average weight of newborn humans are about the same.

an increase in the number of different breeds of dog

Answer 1

Diversification refers to increase the variation. It is also known as disruptive selection.

But an increase in the number of different breeds of dog is an example of diversifying selection. Many varieties of dogs that human have breed are all genetically related.

For thousands of years, humans have been dogs for various varieties and traits. Domestic dogs would have represented one split from wolves.

To create specific breeds of dogs humans purposefully divided populations of dogs and interbred those populations to create the evolutionary change in further disruptive or diversifying selection.

The birth weight at which newborn humans are most likely to survive and the average weight of newborn humans are about the same is an stabilizing selection.

An increase in antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria is a directional selection.