Consider Three Populations of a Plant Species, Each of Which

Multiple Choice

Consider three populations of a plant species, each of which is isolated from other populations of the same species. Population X has had approximately 100 individuals in each generation for the past 200 generations. Population Y has had approximately 10,000 individuals in each generation for the past 200 generations. Population Z has had approximately 1 million individuals in each generation for the past 200 generations. If the environment changed and a new environmental condition exerted the exact same strength of directional selection on all three populations, which population would we expect to evolve most rapidly?

A) Population X
B) Population Y
C) Population Z
D) All three populations would evolve at the same rate.