According to evolutionary theory, how did giraffes develop their long necks?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks: According to evolutionary theory, how did giraffes develop their long necks?

First, I note that the provided data includes an answer statement but does not supply any answer options to evaluate against. Without a list of alternatives, I cannot compare and contrast specific incorrect choices.

However, the included correct-answer statement is: 'Natural selection favored giraffes with slightly longer necks, which had a survival advantage over many generations.' This aligns with the widely taught mechanism of evolution by natural selection: small heritable variations that confer a survival or reproductive advantage become more common in a population over many generations. In this case, neck length could increase access to food sources, ability to spot predators, or other advantages, leading to gradual accumulation of longer necks.

To expand the reasoning, you can consider how this process typically unfolds: 
- Variation exists in neck length among individuals within the ancestral population, due to genetic differences.
- Individuals with relatively longer necks may have better access to higher leaves or may compete more effectively for food, especially in times of scarcity.
- These individuals are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on the genes associated with longer necks to their offspring.
- Over many generations, the average neck length of the population increases as advantageous traits become more common.

Potential alternative explanations that people sometimes encounter include sexual selection (if neck length influenced mating success) or other hypotheses about developmental constraints. Since no other options are provided here to critique, those secondary ideas cannot be definitively evaluated within this prompt.

In summary, given the customary framing of evolutionary theory, the statement that natural selection favored longer necks over generations captures the core mechanism by which giraffes’ necks could have evolved, assuming the trait provided a fitness advantage in their environment.

AGRI10051_2025_SM2 Revision Questions Weeks 1-4 UNMARKED

According to evolutionary theory, how did giraffes develop their long necks?

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