Ducks are aquatic birds. Their feet are webbed and this trait makes them fast swimmers. Biologists believe that ducks evolved from land birds that did not have webbed feet. The amount of webbing on a ducks feet is a heritable trait. While webbed feet were evolving in ancestral ducks, with each generation: a.) Most ducks had about the same amount of webbing on their feet as their parents. b.) Most ducks had more webbing on their feet than their parents. c.) Most ducks have less webbing on their feet than their parents. d.) The amount of webbing on ducks’ feet had no relationship with the amount their parents had.
Answer: a.) Most ducks had about the same amount of webbing on their feet as their parents.
Explanation: In evolutionary biology, heritable traits are passed from parents to offspring. Since the amount of webbing on a duck’s feet is a heritable trait, it is expected that most ducks would have a similar amount of webbing as their parents, leading to gradual changes over generations rather than drastic increases or decreases in webbing.