Which of the following changes is most likely to increase the evolutionary fitness of an...
BIOLOGY
SAT 2021
Which of the following changes is most likely to increase the evolutionary fitness of an organism?
- A. A mutation that enables it to live in a new environment
- B. A mutation that enables it to be bigger than its peers
- C. A mutation that enables it to be stronger than its peers
- D. A mutation that enables it to produce a larger number of viable offspring than its peers
Correct Answer: D. A mutation that enables it to produce a larger number of viable offspring than its peers
Explanation
An organism's evolutionary fitness is defined by the number of offspring that it produces. Mutations that increase the number of offspring that an organism can have will, by definition, increase its evolutionary fitness. Evolutionary fitness is not defined by strength, size, or habitat. While it is theoretically possible that each of the wrong answers might increase the fitness of an organism in the right circumstances, none of the wrong answers are guaranteed to increase the number of offspring produced by the organism.
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