In a shallow bay,a population of oysters is the food source for the local crabs.The lightest colored oysters blend with the color of the rocks and the darkest colored oysters are concealed in the shadows cast by the rocks.Oysters with an intermediate coloring are easily detected by the crabs and become a tasty meal for them.Over time,fewer and fewer oysters display the intermediate coloring while more oysters are either the lightest coloring or the darkest coloring.This is an example of

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This is an example of disruptive selection, as individuals with intermediate coloring are being selected against and the population is becoming bimodal, dominated by individuals with either the lightest or darkest coloring. Stabilizing selection would result in the opposite outcome, where individuals with intermediate traits would be favored and the population would become more homogeneous. Directional selection would favor individuals with a specific extreme trait, but in this case, both light and dark coloring are being favored. Genetic drift refers to random changes in gene frequencies, which is not the cause of the observed pattern in this scenario.

In a Shallow Bay,a Population of Oysters Is the Food