Suppose that each species of Galápagos tortoise has a distinctive shell and that variations in shell size make some tortoises better adapted for defence. Imagine an island where many hunt these tortoises. Individuals with a larger shell would be more likely to survive and reproduce than would tortoises with smaller shells. These favoured individuals would pass on the genes that produce larger shells to their descendants, while those with smaller shells would not reproduce, leading to extinction. Which of the following would most likely drive this event?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Natural selection is the process by which certain traits become more common in a population because they confer a survival or reproductive advantage. In this scenario, tortoises with larger shells are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on their genes for larger shells to the next generation, which is a classic example of natural selection.

Suppose That Each Species of Galápagos Tortoise Has a Distinctive