why do we say that natural selection works upon the phenotype? help please...
2007-12-05 10:29:09 · 1 answers · asked by Idontwantyoutoknow 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
We say that because it's so!
Natural selection occurs when one creature lives by out-competing another, right? It chases it down and eats it or runs faster than its brother and doesn't get eaten, or something like that. It has to do with the traits you have in the genes that are expressed.
In other words, it doesn't matter if you have a gene that makes you immune to death if that gene isn't on, nor is there anything that kills you because of the gene itself. Predators don't look at DNA, they look for a tasty lunch.
Thus natural selection operates on phenotype and certainly not on genotype.
2007-12-05 11:19:23 · answer #1 · answered by Doctor Why 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋