What Effect Do Assortative Matings Have on Populations

Question

What effect do assortative matings have on populations?
A) They cause one sex to be much different than the other.
B) They cause isolated groups to be more similar to each other.
C) They increase the rate of mutations.
D) They maintain appearance differences between groups.

Accepted Answer

Assortative mating, where individuals mate with others that are similar to themselves in certain traits, tends to maintain or increase the appearance differences between groups by reducing gene flow between them. This can lead to increased homogeneity within groups but distinct differences between them.