Answer :
Final answer:
Diversifying selection leads to increased genetic variance, promoting adaptation in populations. Natural selection favors traits that offer advantages in specific environments, shaping genetic composition over time. Disruptive selection highlights how intermediate traits can be less fit, influencing phenotype frequencies.
Explanation:
Diversifying selection occurs when environmental changes favor individuals on either end of the phenotypic spectrum, leading to increased genetic variance as the population becomes more diverse. For example, in a mouse population living on a beach with light-colored sand and tall grass, light-colored and dark-colored mice are favored while medium-colored mice are at a disadvantage.
Through natural selection, the fit phenotype that provides an advantage in a specific environment tends to be passed on to future generations, shaping the population's genetic composition over time. This process can lead to a shift in genetic variance towards traits that confer benefits in the prevailing conditions, enabling the species to adapt and thrive.
Contrary to the scenario where the lighter coloration becomes dominant if darker mice eat more, disruptive selection demonstrates how intermediate traits can be less fit, causing shifts in phenotype frequencies as environmental pressures act upon the population.
Learn more about Genetic variation in populations here:
https://brainly.com/question/2329412