Carriers of the sickle-cell allele (i. e. those with a heterozygous genotype) are fittest in environments with high frequencies of:

Individuals who are heterozygous for the sickle-cell allele suffer less from the attack of malaria because a small percentage of the red blood cells are sickle-shaped. They are more resistant to malaria than individuals who have two copies of the normal haemoglobin allele. Heterozygous individuals have a better chance of surviving and reproducing in regions where malaria is prevalent since they do not fully contract the disease.

The return of the wolf to yellowstone national park will probably affect the bird population to some degree, not significantly. while wolves will hunt birds when necessary, they prefer to hunt larger prey. the bird population will most likely only be affected when hunting is scarce for the wolves. birds of prey will also probably not be affected as much as other birds who spend more time on the ground hunting for food as the tend to spend more time in the air or in trees since they do not need to stay on the ground for long due to the nature of the way they hunt.