Stabilizing selection does what to a trait within a population?

Stabilizing selection plays a crucial role in evolution by favoring average or intermediate traits within a population. This mechanism works to limit the variation of a trait, effectively reducing the prevalence of extreme variations that may be less suited for survival in a given environment. By selecting for individuals that exhibit traits close to the population mean, stabilizing selection enhances the fitness of these average individuals, thus contributing to the overall stability of the population's characteristics over time.

For example, in a population of animals, a trait like body size may undergo stabilizing selection; those individuals that are too small may struggle to compete for resources, while those that are excessively large may face challenges in mobility and energy expenditure. Consequently, the individuals with an average body size are more likely to thrive, reproduce, and pass on their traits to future generations.

In contrast, other options describe different evolutionary mechanisms. Encouraging diversity and extreme variations aligns more with disruptive selection, which favors both extremes at the expense of intermediate traits. Supporting the adaptation of any single trait may relate to directional selection, where a specific trait shifts the population towards one particular extreme. Generating rapid changes in population traits is characteristic of certain environmental pressures but not specifically within the framework of stabilizing selection, which tends to maintain the