Under which of the following conditions is a population most likely to evolve? a. no natural selection b. no gene flow c. phenotypic variation d. a population is large e. non-random mating The Effectiveness of Natural Selection, Gene Flow, and Variation on Population Evolution

The Effectiveness of Natural Selection, Gene Flow, and Variation on Population Evolution

The study of evolutionary biology is complex, but it is known that a population is most likely to evolve under certain conditions. Natural selection, gene flow, phenotypic variation, a large population size, and non-random mating are all factors that can influence the rate of evolution for a population. Natural selection is the process of survival of the fittest and is essential for a population to evolve. Organisms with advantageous traits will have higher reproductive success and will pass on their genes more often than those with less beneficial traits (Yampolsky and Gavrilets, 2016).
Gene flow is the transfer of genetic material between two populations, and it can have a big effect on the rate of evolution. If a population experiences gene flow, it can gain or lose alleles and traits, which can influence its evolution (Hassall and Bijlsma, 2017).
Phenotypic variation is the presence of different traits in a population. Variation plays an important role in natural selection, as different traits can increase or decrease an organism’s chances of surviving and passing on its genes (Lombardo et al., 2018).
A population size is also important for evolution. A larger population size means that more genetic variation will be present, which can lead to more evolutionary change (Yang et al., 2020).
Lastly, non-random mating can affect population evolution. If individuals in a population mate with one another non-randomly, it can lead to an increase in the frequency of certain alleles (McCauley et al., 2021). Cont….