A powerful windstorm moves through a densely populated white oak forest. The oaks in this forest have either smooth or rough bark. The storm randomly knocks down 50% of the white oak trees. The remaining oaks grow and produce seeds that germinate and fill in spaces in the forest. All of the new oaks have smooth bark. Which of these processes is described in this example?A. Genetic drift B. Natural selection C. Mass extinctions D. Geographic isolation
This is an example of B. natural selection, since only oaks of smooth bark were able to survive after the disturbing event, which can be evidenciable considering the offspring of these plants species.
