claytonia virginica is a woodland spring herb with flowers that vary from white to pale pink to bright pink. this plant is primarily pollinated by a bee that prefers pink flowers to white flowers. claytonia with pink flowers have greater relative fruit set than claytonia with white flowers. nevertheless the percentage of different flower colors remains stable in the study population from year to year. which of these statements might explain this observation?a) the white flowers have evolved pollinator resistanceb) reproductive success does not affect evolution in this speciesc) there are repeated mutations for white flowers in this speciesd) flower color is not heritable but is instead environmentally determinede) fitness is primarily determined by fruit set in this species

The flowers of Claytonia virginica have the same genetic code that is passed from one generation to the next, but the phenotype of these flowers (which are the colors) is influenced by the environment and explains why the percentage of different colors of the flowers remains stable in the studied population. year to year. The phenotype is the result of the interaction of genotype with the environment and represents the various characteristics observed in organisms. Usually only the genotype of an organism is transmitted to its descendants; however, in some cases these offspring may have a memory of a phenotype triggered by a specific environmental effect, such as the flowers of Claytonia virginica.