Which of the answer choices is an example of stabilizing selection?

1. decrease in the number of birds with intermediate-sized beaks

2. who are unable to eat large or small seeds

3. breeding dogs from wolves selection for average

4. birth weight in humans antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Question:

Which of the answer choices is an example of stabilizing selection?

1. decrease in the number of birds with intermediate-sized beaks who are unable to eat large or small seeds

2. breeding dogs from wolves

3. selection for average birth weight in humans

4. antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Answer:

3. selection for average birth weight in humans

Explanation:

When the average phenotype exhibits a better survival rate in the prevailing surroundings, natural selection favors the organisms of this phenotype range. The individuals exhibiting the extreme phenotypes do not confer any survival advantage here and are present in a very low proportion in the population. This type of natural selection is called stabilizing natural selection.

In the given example, the new-born of humans having average body weight survive well and therefore, are more frequent in the population. On the other hand, the newborns with very high or very less body weight are not selected. This represents the stabilizing selection.