The answer is the third one (C): A bacterium.
Explanation for each option:
A. A fruit fly: While fruit flies have relatively short life cycles and can undergo mutations that are subject to natural selection, they do not reproduce as quickly as bacteria.
B. A mouse: Mice have longer life cycles compared to fruit flies and bacteria, meaning mutations take longer to be expressed and evaluated by natural selection.
C. A bacterium: Bacteria reproduce very rapidly, often within minutes to hours, allowing mutations to be expressed and evaluated by natural selection much more quickly than in multicellular organisms like fruit flies, mice, or plants.
D. A plant: Plants generally have longer life cycles and slower reproduction rates compared to bacteria, so mutations take longer to be expressed and evaluated by natural selection.
Summary: Bacteria reproduce rapidly, allowing mutations to be expressed and evaluated by natural selection more quickly than in other organisms listed.