How does artificial selection contradict the claim that selection can only produce minor evolutionary change?Multiple choice question.Artificial selection has produced many new species of plants and animals.Industrial melanism can be reversed within 20 generations.Variation in bristle numbers among different populations of artificially selected fruit flies does not overlap after about 35 generations.Differences between breeds can be larger than differences between different genera of animals or plants.

The claim that selection can only produce minor evolutionary change is contradicted by artificial selection in several ways:

1. Artificial selection has produced many new species of plants and animals: This shows that selection can lead to major evolutionary changes, not just minor ones. By selectively breeding organisms with desirable traits, humans have been able to create entirely new species that did not exist before.

2. Industrial melanism can be reversed within 20 generations: This is an example of rapid evolutionary change in response to environmental factors. It shows that selection can lead to significant changes in a relatively short period of time.

3. Variation in bristle numbers among different populations of artificially selected fruit flies does not overlap after about 35 generations: This demonstrates that selection can lead to distinct, non-overlapping traits in different populations, indicating significant evolutionary change.

4. Differences between breeds can be larger than differences between different genera of animals or plants: This shows that the degree of change that can be achieved through selection is not limited to minor variations. In fact, the differences between breeds (which are the result of selection) can be greater than the differences between different genera, which are typically considered to represent more significant evolutionary change.

Therefore, artificial selection provides several examples of how selection can lead to major, not just minor, evolutionary change.