Genetic Drift

Mr. Andersen explains genetic drift, a random evolutionary change affecting allele frequencies in a gene pool. He uses graphs and a population simulator to illustrate how genetic drift varies with population size. The video also covers the bottleneck and founder effects, providing real-world examples like the northern elephant seal and Pingelap island, highlighting the impact of genetic drift on genetic diversity and species evolution.

What is genetic drift primarily caused by?

• Mutations

• Environmental changes

• Random chance

• Natural selection

In the context of genetic drift, what does a p-value represent?

• The rate of natural selection

• The frequency of the dominant allele

• The size of the population

• The probability of mutation

What happens to allele frequencies in a small population over time due to genetic drift?

• They remain constant

• They change randomly

• They become more diverse

• They stabilize quickly

How does increasing the population size affect genetic drift?

• It increases the rate of drift

• It decreases the rate of drift

• It causes drift to stop completely

• It has no effect on drift

What does the law of large numbers suggest about genetic drift in large populations?

• Drift is more pronounced

• Drift is less pronounced

• Drift is unaffected

• Drift stops completely

What is the bottleneck effect?

• A population adapting to a new environment

• A large population being reduced to a small size

• A small population founding a new area

• A large population splitting into smaller groups

Which of the following is an example of the founder effect?

• A population recovering after a natural disaster

• A small group colonizing a new island

• A species adapting to climate change

• A large population experiencing a genetic bottleneck

What was the impact of the bottleneck effect on the northern elephant seal population?

• Increased genetic diversity

• Decreased genetic diversity

• No change in genetic diversity

• Increased population size

How did the founder effect manifest in the population of Pingelap?

• Decreased population size

• Increased color vision

• Increased genetic diversity

• High prevalence of colorblindness

What is a potential consequence of reduced genetic diversity in a population?

• Greater resistance to diseases

• Faster population growth

• Higher susceptibility to environmental changes

• Increased adaptability