Question

Peacock females pick their mate according to the males tail. The ones with the largest and brightest tails mate more often. The given example can be related to (A) Adaptive radiation
(B) Natural selection
(C) Convergent evolution
(D) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Peacock females pick their mate according to the males tail. This can be related to Darwin's theory of evolution, which was first formulated in Darwin's book "On the Origin of Species" in 1859,. It is defined as the process by which organisms change over time as a result of changes in heritable physical or behavioral traits.

Complete answer:
A selection on mating behavior, either through competition among members of 1 sex (usually males) for access to members of the opposite sex or through choice by members of one sex (usually females) of certain members of the opposite sex.

In sexual selection, individuals are favored by their fitness relative to other members of equivalent sex, whereas natural selection works on the fitness of a genotype relative to the entire population.

Additional Information: Natural selection- In this the differential survival and reproduction of classes of organisms that differ from one another in one or more usually heritable characteristics. Through this process, the forms of organisms in a population that are best adapted to their local environment increase in frequency relative to less well-adapted forms over a number of generations. This difference which was seen in survival and reproduction is not due to chance.
So, the correct answer is, ‘(B) Natural selection’.

Note: The interesting fact is that bigger tails are only better up to a point. If peacock tails become too big or too colorful over time, they may no longer be considered as a selective advantage. These tails may be used to attract predators. Then, those super males will eventually die out and make room for the more ordinary males.