Leaf type is inherited in a population of annual plants. The plants have either hairy leaves or smooth leaves.
At the start of the growing season, there were 160 plants of each leaf type. The climate was drier than usual during the growing season.
The table shows the results for the plants that survived to reproduce.
| leaf type | number of plants that survived to reproduce | mean number of offspring per surviving plant |
|---|---|---|
| hairy | 104 | 18 |
| smooth | 56 | 11 |
Calculate the ratio of the total number of offspring produced by the hairy-leaved plants to the total number produced by the smooth-leaved plants.
Give your answer in the form x : 1.
Explain how continued drier conditions could affect the frequency of the allele associated with hairy leaves over many generations. Use the data in your answer.
85 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Biology 4.1 Evolution and natural selection, covering 4.1.1 Work of Darwin and Wallace and 4.1.2 Resistant organisms and evolution. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.