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Question 17

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Use the following information to answer the question below.
In those parts of equatorial Africa where the malaria parasite is most common, the sickle-cell allele constitutes 20 percent of the β hemoglobin alleles in the human gene pool.
The sickle-cell allele is pleiotropic (that is, it affects more than one phenotypic trait) . Specifically, this allele affects oxygen delivery to tissues and affects one's susceptibility to malaria. Heterozygous individuals who have one normal and one sickle-cell allele have a phenotype that has both costs and benefits. The cost: Under conditions of low atmospheric oxygen availability, individuals heterozygous for this allele can experience life-threatening sickle-cell "crises." The benefit: Such individuals are less susceptible to malaria. Thus, pleiotropic genes/alleles reveal that ________.


A) new advantageous alleles do not arise on demand
B) evolution is limited by historical constraints
C) adaptations are often compromises
D) chance events can affect the evolutionary history of populations

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