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Question #45521
The Question
Under the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) program, extensive genetic counseling and prenatal screening are employed to reduce the incidence of a severe recessive genetic disorder in an isolated population. Population geneticists observe that the gene responsible for this disorder exhibits antagonistic pleiotropy, conferring a significant survival advantage to heterozygous carriers against a local lethal infectious disease. If the RCH intervention successfully and completely eradicates this mutant allele from the gene pool, which of the following will be the most likely evolutionary consequence?
Options
- A.
The population will establish a new balanced polymorphism due to the increased fitness of homozygous dominant individuals.
- B.
Artificial purifying selection will reduce allelic diversity, inadvertently increasing the population's vulnerability to the infectious disease.
- C.
The overall genetic load of the population will increase because the mutant allele no longer masks the deleterious effects of the dominant allele.
- D.
The infectious disease will naturally decline as the pathogen loses its primary reservoir in the homozygous recessive individuals.
Check Your Answer
Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Comparative_Analysis
Sharpen your ability to evaluate multiple scenarios and distinguish between competing potential answers.
Concepts Behind This Question
RCH Program Objectives|Pleiotropy Logic|Sex-Linked Recessive Inheritance
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
The 'Conceptual Pivot' lies in understanding the evolutionary trade-offs of modern medical interventions.
Students often view RCH genetic screening as an absolute biological good, failing to recognize that eliminating a deleterious allele with pleiotropic heterozygote advantage destroys balanced polymorphism and reduces genetic diversity, leaving the population vulnerable to other selective pressures.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Reproductive Health - Class 12 |
| Concept | RCH Program Objectives |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |