A population contains short plants and tall plants. The short plants are not able to compete with tall plants for sunlight. The tall plants, however, are more susceptible to wind damage. Which type of selection will this population of plants most likely experience?

Short plants are disadvantaged because they cannot compete well for sunlight, while tall plants are disadvantaged because they are more likely to be damaged by wind. Plants of intermediate height avoid both disadvantages, so selection favors the middle of the trait range. This is stabilizing selection, choice D.

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