What is the role of genes in evolution? Choose from the following answers (see post)?

Question

Can anyone help me answer this question? The question is on a study guide for a science test, and it has four choices:

A) Only genes can be acted on by natural selection
B) Parents with the recessive genes die from overproduction.
C) The genes of most surviving parents have only dominant alleles.
D) Only traits that are controlled by genes can be acted on by natural selection.

Please post if you know the CORRECT answer only. Please don't post saying "I don't know..." or anything similar. Thanks for helping!

NOTE: I did take a look at the question, but I am still confused (for those wondering why I posted the question)

If you just got to the question and see the answers, just continue to post. I want to see what the majority says.

Isabella-

I'm not going to yell at you for having the wrong answer. In fact, it seems it's a tossup between C & D.

Isabella-

I'm not going to yell at you for having the wrong answer. In fact, it seems it's a tossup between C & D.

For those who have just clicked on my question, please don't answer. I got the official answer from someone I know..... (It's d for those wondering)

Answer 1

It's D.

Answer 2

D is the only answer that makes sense. C doesn't make sense because many recessive alleles do not have any effect on survival rates (blue eyes, for example).

Natural selection by definition is talking about gene-controlled traits that better enhance an organism's ability to survive. While other things may affect a particular organism's chances (like being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or an accident, or a lack of food), those are outside the purview of the process of natural selection.

Answer 3

Most multiple choice questions only have two actual choices, because two of them usually don't make sense. you should be able to get the answer by process of elimination. The question is asking what purpose genes have when it comes to evolution. We know that Darwin's theory of evolution is natural selection, so you can already just focus on A and D. Additonally, B doesn't make sense, because people don't just die from having too many recessive genes. C doesn't make sense, either because one person's genes don't change when a spouse dies.

So, you are left with A and D. Try looking in your science book in the index under "genes, "evolution," "Darwin, Charles," or "natural selection."

I would choose D, because the traits it refers to are traits under which you have no control. A woman has no control of true outer beauty. Those genes that cause a woman to be drop dead gorgeous cause men to choose them over the not-so-gorgeous ones. And not all me, but many. Anyways, if you put it into an anology of beaty with men and women, D makes the most sense.

Answer 4

Well... It cant be B) Because that is a ludicrous statement! but A, C and D seem like obvious statements to me (they always are...). Eventually all evolution HAS to happen through the genes - this is the only way we can physically change to address the psychological progress we have made.
As I haven't been to your classes I don't know which line your lecturer would take with this - I have always found it best in these situations to think of which angle your teacher would take. I'd say either A or C as ALL traits are controlled by genes (D is kinda wrong).
Probably A, as C is part of the ongoing process of natural selection.
Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Actually, none of those answers is correct when considering the role of genes in evolution.

A) Genes may be acted on by natural selection, but there are a variety of other factors, not the least of which is dumb luck about being in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time, which can also influence the success of an organism, which could very easily lead to situations where a superior organism is not as successful as an inferior one in breeding. As a result, this answer is not true.

B) Contrary to popular opinion, dominant and recessive traits do not necessarily have to do with producing an organism with a greater chance of breeding. Take human beings, for example. Blue eyes are a recessive trait, and so is blond hair. However, neither really affects the ability of people to grow up and breed successfully, and in many cases is considered preferable to the established dominant traits for our species of brown hair and brown eyes. The production of these genes and the transmission of them becomes a deciding factor for those who are attracted to such things, so the recessive genes pass themselves on, but really don't affect the survivability of the species, making this answer untrue.

C) This answer isn't true because it isn't necessary. The genes of many surviving parents EXPRESS primarily dominant alleles. However, as anyone who has a child with a genetic disorder (fanconi's anemia, cystic fibrosis, etc) will tell you, it's entirely possible to be a healthy individual expressing nothing but dominant traits in your own genetic structure and still be carrying disastrously faulty recessive genes which can be passed onto offspring. Therefore, surviving parents may possess both dominant and recessive alleles (and in pretty much all cases do considering how complex genetics is), and so can their offspring, while still being perfectly healthy as a rule. That makes this answer incorrect.

D) This is not true, either. An organism's genes may significantly influence how they are constructed, but there are many other traits an organism can carry along with them which affect their final survivability. For instance, an organism which was born in the middle of a famine for the species may have superior genes, but due to a lack of food, grow up to be much less physically capable than an organism with inferior genes that was born during a time of plenty for the species. An organism, regardless of their genetic make-up, may fall prey to illness which could stunt or deform their growth and leave them less physically capable, or it could be injured and as a result left handicapped, dragging along a useless limb which was rendered useless by things other than genetics. Any or all of these things would heavily influence how the organism fared through the process of natural selection, and how successful he or she could be during breeding and the rearing of offspring. Therefore, many other traits an organism carries may be acted on by natural selection (rats, for instance, will not breed with a mate that is sick... which is an expressed physical trait but not determined by the genetics of the organism), making this answer also incorrect.

However, out of those A is the most correct answer since the process of natural selection will ultimately end up manipulating the genetic make-up of the parents, based in part at least on their favorable genetic make-up, to produce offspring which will have a better chance of being successful themselves, since their genes would afford them the best chance at developing advantageous physical traits.

The reason this makes A the correct answer and not D is because other traits than genetic ones had a hand in leading the parents to their successful breeding (making natural selection up to this point more complex than just their genetically inherited traits), and because the organism being produced during breeding has no advantageous traits yet, just the genetic code which will eventually lead to them... but by the point those develop to any great extent, a variety of other factors will come into play influencing its chances of successfully making it through the process of natural selection to mating and producing offspring itself (predation, illness, natural disaster, aggression from other members of its own species, etc, etc, etc). Therefore, the only constant that is manipulated during the breeding process itself and sets the base pattern for the next generation at the moment of genetic alteration are the genes themselves.

Perhaps, though, the best course of action would be to ask your teacher to explain the situation more thoroughly so you can find out why they have chosen the answer they think is right. It could be very helpful in ultimately getting you to understand the nature of the question and its answer.

Answer 6

i am 99% sure that it's "C" if i am wrong I am very sorry. You may not want to go with my answer unless thats what you were thinking.

Answer 7

D is the correct answer.

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