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Why does natural selection work on organisms phenotypes rather than their genotypes?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
This is backward, natural selection works on genotype not phenotype.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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Does natural selection act on genotypes?
Indirectly, yes it does. But it can only act on genotypes through their phenotypes.
How are phenotypes and genotypes related to natural selection?
Natural selection favours phenotypes that bestow a reproductive advantage, thereby increasing the frequency of alleles (genotype) producing those phenotypes.
Is it true or false that a natural selection acts on phenotypes not genotypes?
It doesn't. Phenotypes are viable or not in a given environment, and this influences whether the corresponding genotypes get passed on. Selection works on genotypes via the effects of their expression, their phenotype. The answer you may be looking for is that phenotypes maladapted to their environment have less babies, and pass on less copies of their genes. "Natural selection" is the whole process over generations. "Selection" may refer to misadapted bodies/phenotypes reproducing less due to illness, hunger, bad quality territories, dying earlier, etc.
Why does natural selection only work on phenotypes?
Natural selection is based on the environment and on the traits of organisms. Organisms with more suitable traits are more likely to survive until reproductive age, while organisms with less suitable traits are more likely to die before they can reproduce. Most of these traits are genetic traits. The phenotype is the set of all genetic traits. Natural selection is not determined by genotypes, because genotypes are merely an organism's genetic makeup. Only the dominant or somewhat dominant alleles in the genotype will also appear in the phenotype. However, genotypes still contribute to natural selection indirectly in that two alleles in two parents' genotypes which had not appeared in their phenotypes could be inherited such that they are in the phenotype of the offspring.
Can individual organisms evolve new phenotypes in response to their environments according to natural selection?
yes it is highly possible
What selection favors organisms with phenotypes that are at one extreme rlative to the average phenotype?
Tends to result in a population whose individuals have extreme traits is what? ----> it is directional selection
When two extreme phenotypes are selected in natural selection the intermediate phenotypes become?
Highly reduced, or, nonexistent.
What are the 3 ways natural selection can affect a population?
Directional selection: favors the phenotype at one extreme of a trait's range, selecting against the opposite extreme.Stabilizing selection: favors the intermediate phenotype, selecting against the phenotypes at both extremes of the trait's range.Disruptive selection: favors phenotypes at both extremes, selecting against the intermediate phenotype of the trait's range.
How can a wide range of phenotypes increase the chance that some individuals will survive in a changing environment?
by natural selection.
Why natural selection acts on the phenotype rather than genotype?
natural selection is a passive prosess . the mechanism of some individuals to be selected more than others is because they fit their environment more. and phenotype shows the fitness .
What is the type of natural selection that favors intermediate phenotypes?
When natural selection favors the intermediate version of a characteristic, it is referred to as stabilizing selection. It is the opposite of disruptive selection.
How can natural selection favor different phenotypes at different times?
Natural selection is something that happens over time and is somewhat dependent on the conditions of climate and environmental changes. There are times when natural selection can favor different phenotypes, if and when the culture starts to seek out others with certain traits and characteristics to breed.
