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-Scientists have been studying natural selection on a certain species of lizard.They found the lizard lives in trees in a small forest,but only in the thick lower branches.Over time,the body size of the lizards has become larger and heavier to allow them to take advantage of the wide branches.This is an example of ____________ selection.

Question

Science Literacy Use the graphic below to answer the next questions. 
-Scientists have been studying natural selection on a certain species of lizard.They found the lizard lives in trees in a small forest,but only in the thick lower branches.Over time,the body size of the lizards has become larger and heavier to allow them to take advantage of the wide branches.This is an example of ____________ selection.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The increase in body size of the lizard population is an example of directional selection because a specific trait (in this case, larger body size) is favored over time due to environmental conditions (thick lower branches in trees). Stabilizing selection would occur if the average body size of the lizards remained the same over time, and disruptive selection would occur if both small and large lizards were favored over average-sized lizards.

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