University of Central Florida (UCF) BSC1005 Biological Principles Practice Exam 2

The option indicating that climate change typically does not contribute to microevolution is accurate because microevolution refers specifically to changes in allele frequencies within a population over time due to mechanisms such as natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow, which are all direct processes affecting genetic variation in populations.

Climate change itself is an environmental factor that can influence species and populations indirectly. It can alter habitats, trigger shifts in ecosystems, and create selective pressures that may lead to evolutionary changes. However, the mechanisms that directly drive microevolution are based on genetic changes within populations rather than broad environmental changes like climate shifts.

Therefore, while climate change may influence microevolutionary processes by affecting the conditions under which organisms live and compete, it is not a mechanism that directly produces genetic change within a population. The other options each involve direct mechanisms that can lead to microevolution by altering gene frequencies within a population.