What could happen to a population that experiences strong selective pressure?

Study for the NCEA Level 1 Genetics Exam. Explore genetics concepts with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each providing hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Strong selective pressure can significantly impact a population by influencing the survival and reproduction of individuals based on their traits. When a particular environmental condition favors certain traits over others, those individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. Over time, this process can lead to evolutionary changes within the population, as the favored traits become more common, altering the genetic makeup of the population. This is a fundamental principle of natural selection, where the allele frequencies in the gene pool shift in response to the selective pressures.

This phenomenon illustrates how populations can adapt to their environments, showing that evolution is a gradual process that can result in the emergence of new traits or even new species over long periods. Thus, the conclusion that the population may evolve over time clearly highlights the dynamic nature of genetics and adaptation in response to environmental challenges.

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