Practice Quiz

CLEP Biology Practice Exam

Category - Biology

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The outermost tail feather of the male barn swallow is longer than that of the female barn swallow. The long tail feather helps the males attract females, but it also requires the males to use extra energy to fly.The long tail feather trait is maintained in the barn swallow populations because, compared to males with a shorter tail feather, males with a longer tail feather are more likely to
  1. build a large nest.
  2. produce offspring.
  3. migrate each winter.
  4. escape from predators.
Explanation
Answer: B - migrate each winter.
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Additional Answers

Valeriia Kovalenko says:

Wouldn't the answer B. produce offspring be more logical? The longer tail feathers help males attract females, so the trait is a sexual display, or favored by sexual selection. If the long feathers help males attract females, then the long-feathered males are probably more likely to mate, and consequently, produce offspring.

Josh Summers says:

How does the trait that actively hinders long term flight get maintained in a population without a strong sexual preference? Claiming that migration is the key drive of this phenotype, that is directly harmful to a swallows ability to migrate, is simple incorrect

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