Mutations that increase the risk of breast cancer in women are also associated with higher rates of childbirth. This is an example of

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Antagonistic pleiotropy occurs when a single gene controls for more than one trait, where at least one of these traits is beneficial to the organism's fitness and at least one is detrimental. In this case, the gene mutation increases the risk of breast cancer (detrimental) but is also associated with higher rates of childbirth (beneficial), fitting the definition of antagonistic pleiotropy.

Mutations That Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer in Women