Question

Frequency of a character increases when it is
a. Recessive
b. Dominant
c. Inheritable
d. Adaptable

Answer 1

The frequency of a character increases when it can survive in varying environmental conditions i.e., either favorable or unfavorable that will ensure the survival of that character and hence, increasing its frequency.

Complete answer:

Option (A) is incorrect. A recessive character can express itself only when it is present in homozygous condition otherwise it won’t express itself and also will not survive when environmental conditions are unfavorable or varying. Hence, the frequency of a character does not increase when it is in a recessive state.

Option (B) is incorrect. The frequency of character does not increase when it is in a dominant state because being dominant does not ensure the survival of the character when environmental conditions are not favorable thereby the frequency of dominant character does not increase when environmental conditions are unfavorable.

Option (C) is incorrect. The frequency of character does not increase when it is inheritable because an inheritable character is inherited from parents to their offspring that do not ensure their survival in unfavorable environmental conditions.

Option (D) is correct. The frequency of character increases when it is adaptable because adaptable characters can survive even in unfavorable environmental conditions ensuring their survival thereby increasing their frequency to increase.

Hence, the correct answer is option (D).

Note: An adaptable character can change itself according to the varying environmental conditions that will ensure its survival even in unfavorable environments thus increasing its frequency. Thus, an increase in the frequency of adaptable character is the result of natural selection which means “survival of the fittest”.