Responses to the Environment

AP Biology· difficulty 3/5

Lack's hypothesis on optimal clutch size.

optimal clutch Clutch size Surviving offspring

The peak in the curve indicates that natural selection favors:

  • A

    The smallest possible clutch

  • B

    Random clutch sizes

  • C

    The largest possible clutch

  • D

    A clutch size that maximizes the number of surviving offspring

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Explanation

Lack predicted an intermediate clutch size that maximizes the number of offspring surviving to fledge, balancing per-offspring care with brood size.

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