The prevalence of the allele for sickle cell anemia in some populations is an example of?
A) Heterogeneous environments
B) Balancing selection
C) Inverted selection
D) Non-Darwinian selection
E) Nonrandom mating

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The prevalence of the sickle cell anemia allele in some populations is an example of balancing selection. This is because individuals heterozygous for the sickle cell allele (one normal and one mutated copy) have a selective advantage in regions with high incidences of malaria, as the mutated allele also confers some resistance to the disease. Therefore, the sickle cell allele persists in these populations at a higher frequency than would be expected under random genetic drift.

The Prevalence of the Allele for Sickle Cell Anemia in Some