21- genetic drift 2

Question 1

what is the problem with genetic drift?

Answer 1

the smaller a population, the more likely it is that one allele will become fixed, ie. only one allele for a certain trait remains in the population

if only a small percent of the population reproduce, it is more likely that those individuals represent only one of the alleles if the population is small

Question 2

in a larger population, random mating is more or less likely to lead to genetic drift and the loss of one allele

Answer 2

less likely compared to a smaller generation

random mating rarely leads to genetic drift and loss of one allele in a very large population

Question 3

populations with high or low genetic diversity are likely to go extinct?

Answer 3

low genetic diversity

• lower adaptive capacity
• weak potential for long term survival
• low resilience

Question 4

sources for genetic diversity:

Answer 4

• migration (gene flow)
• mutations
• sexual reproduction
• horizontal gene transfer