The observation that females of a species of beetles prefer to mate with males with relatively rare color patterns would be an illustration of
A) Muller's ratchet.
B) genetic drift.
C) the founder effect.
D) frequency-dependent selection.
E) disruptive selection.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Frequency-dependent selection occurs when the fitness of a phenotype depends on its frequency in the population. In this case, the rare color pattern of males is preferred by females, which increases the fitness of males with that phenotype. This creates a situation where the fitness of a phenotype depends on its frequency in the population, resulting in frequency-dependent selection.

The Observation That Females of a Species of Beetles Prefer