When male lions reach sexual maturity, they leave their group in search of a new pride. This can alter the allele frequencies of the population through which of the following mechanisms?

a. natural selection

b. genetic drift

c. gene flow

d. random mating

It is described as a process in which organisms reproduce and survive in diverse ways as a result of phenotypic alterations. It comprises a mild variation of a trait, which is retained if the variance benefits the individuals.

(c) Gene flow- In population genetics, gene flow is also known as gene migration or allele flow. Gene flow is a mechanism that allows genetic diversity to be transferred from one group to another. When the rate of gene flow is great, two populations display equal genetic diversity, resulting in the appearance of a single population. The crucial function of gene flow across populations in causing consequences such as mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection, all of which are active mechanisms in biological evolution. It is the proper response.

(a) Natural selection- Natural selection is a natural process in which organisms reproduce under favorable conditions and pass on their qualities to the following generation. With time, organisms adapt to their surroundings and allow this process to take place. As a result, this is a fundamental evolutionary mechanism that aids in the change of heritable features, and these qualities of a population are passed down across generations. It's the incorrect response.

(b) Generic drift, on the other hand, explains why all sorts of gene variations in a population fluctuate arbitrarily. When alleles, which are different versions of a gene, arise, genetic drift occurs. Changes in allele frequencies are used to quantify these allele variants. Over time, these variants in alleles grow and decrease as a result of chance. Once genetic drift has started, alleles are either lost by a population or present in a population. Both of these options limit a population's genetic diversity. It is the incorrect response.

(d) Mating of individuals for an unlimited number of times is known as random mating, and it demonstrates the null model, which is important to population genetics. In reality, this is clearly impossible; for example, when each female mates only a finite number of times, the population size is effectively reduced. It's the incorrect response.