Q

QuestionAnatomy and Physiology

This question involves understanding the concept of dominant and recessive alleles in genetics. In this case, the black nose allele is dominant (B) and the brown nose allele is recessive (b). Even though there is no known selective advantage for one nose color over another, genetic drift can still cause changes in allele frequencies over time.

Option A suggests that the number of wolves with black noses will increase steadily until all wolves have black noses. This is unlikely because the presence of the recessive brown nose allele (b) will still be present in the population, and mating between wolves carrying the recessive allele can produce offspring with brown noses. Option B states that the number of wolves with brown noses will decrease due to natural selection. However, since there is no known selective advantage for one nose color over another, natural selection does not play a significant role in this scenario. Option C suggests that the frequency of black and brown nose alleles will remain relatively stable due to genetic equilibrium. Genetic equilibrium occurs when the frequency of alleles in a population remains constant from one generation to the next. This can happen if there is no significant migration, mutation, selection, or drift affecting the population. Option D states that the brown nose allele will disappear because it is recessive and therefore weak. However, the recessive allele can still be passed on to the next generation, especially if the carriers of the recessive allele mate with each other.