The tendency of individuals to choose mates who are like themselves is called                   . a. natural selection; b. sexual selection; c. assortative mating; d. the founder effect; e. random mating

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the concept being asked about in the question, which is about individuals choosing mates similar to themselves.
2. Understand that natural selection involves organisms better adapted to their environment tending to survive and produce more offspring.
3. Recognize that sexual selection refers to choosing mates based on traits that increase mating success.
4. Define assortative mating, which specifically refers to the pattern where individuals with similar phenotypes mate with one another more frequently than would be expected under a random mating pattern.
5. Compare the remaining options to see if they relate to the concept of individuals choosing similar mates, which they do not. The founder effect involves genetic differences in a new colony from a small number of original settlers, and random mating implies no selective mating preferences.