Imagine Two Populations of Snails That Are Polymorphic for Sexual

Essay

Imagine two populations of snails that are polymorphic for sexual reproduction.In each of the two populations,several asexual lineages and a panmictic,sexually reproducing subpopulation of snails are living in the same environment.Several years ago,a new pathogen was detected in the first population.This pathogen is transmitted predominantly between parents and their offspring,but on occasion,it is also transmitted horizontally between unrelated individuals.The pathogen is now infecting both sexual and asexual individuals.Since the introduction of the pathogen,the formerly stable ratio of sexual to asexual snails has shifted significantly in favor of the sexually reproducing individuals.At the same time,the second population became infected with a pathogen that is almost always transmitted horizontally.In the second population,no shift in the ratio of sexuals to asexuals has been observed.Speculate on why the difference in transmission between the two pathogens may have shifted the proportion of sexual reproduction in the first but not in the second population.Limit your answer to one or two sentences.