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Genetic Drift (or allelic drift) is the pseudo-random chance that a minor genetic change will eventually become a fixed genetic inheritance in a specific organism. IT is the underlying principal in the theory of evolution. There are many equations and probabilities involved, but the basic explanation is that as the number of generations with the genetic change increases, so does the chance that the change will become the norm, rather than the aberration.

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What condition is necessary for genetic drift to have a significant effect on a population A natural disaster must occur. The population needs to be small. Gene flow must occur. A portion of the p?

The condition necessary for genetic drift to have a significant effect on a population is when the population size is small. In smaller populations, genetic drift can lead to random changes in allele frequencies, impacting the overall genetic diversity of the population.


Types of genetic drift?

There are two main types of genetic drift: population bottleneck and founder effect. Population bottleneck occurs when a population's size is drastically reduced, leading to a loss of genetic diversity. Founder effect occurs when a small group of individuals establishes a new population with limited genetic variation.


What is genic drift?

Genetic drift is change in allele frequencies due to random chance events. Two types are the Founder effect and the Bottleneck effect. The founder effect is when a subset of a population goes to a new are where there are no other of that same species. The bottleneck effect is when a large population is reduced to a small population. Genetic drift decreases variation in a population and has a greater effect on a smaller population than a larger one.


How are the bottleneck effect and founder effect related as examples of genetic drift in population genetics?

The bottleneck effect and founder effect are both examples of genetic drift in population genetics. The bottleneck effect occurs when a large population is drastically reduced in size, leading to a loss of genetic diversity. The founder effect happens when a small group of individuals establishes a new population, leading to a limited gene pool. Both effects can result in changes in allele frequencies and genetic variation within a population.


One consequence of genetic drift is?

Genetic drift usually only has effect on the genetic diversity of small populations of a species. Often times, genetic drift can greatly reduce the diversity of a population if a significant percent of members of the population leave by a chance event (as opposed to natural selection.) This means that their alleles for various genes leave with them. Genetic drift does not always effect genetic diversity. Most of the time, it is the allele frequency that is affected by genetic drift. For example, if there are 60 long-finned bass and 40 short-finned bass living in a pond, the gene frequency ratio is 3:2. If 25 short-finned are fished out, the allele frequency is now 4:1. If all or most of the members of a population carrying a specific gene were removed from the population because of genetic drift, that would effect the genetic diversity.

Related Questions

A random change in a population's allele frequency?

Evolution is the change in allele frequency over time in a population of organisms. By mutation, genetic drift, gene flow and natural selection.


What is the term for changes in allele frequency that that happen randomly from one generation to the next?

Genetic drift


Genetic drift tens to occur in populations that?

Genetic drift has a larger effect on smaller populations.


What condition is necessary for genetic drift to have a significant effect on a population A natural disaster must occur. The population needs to be small. Gene flow must occur. A portion of the p?

The condition necessary for genetic drift to have a significant effect on a population is when the population size is small. In smaller populations, genetic drift can lead to random changes in allele frequencies, impacting the overall genetic diversity of the population.


Types of genetic drift?

There are two main types of genetic drift: population bottleneck and founder effect. Population bottleneck occurs when a population's size is drastically reduced, leading to a loss of genetic diversity. Founder effect occurs when a small group of individuals establishes a new population with limited genetic variation.


Why genetic drift affects the diversity of organisms in a small population?

Genetic drift occurs in small populations when chance events cause certain alleles to become more or less common over time. In small populations, genetic drift has a larger impact because there are fewer individuals to pass on their genetic variations. This can lead to a reduction in genetic diversity and an increased risk of inbreeding and genetic disorders.


What is genic drift?

Genetic drift is change in allele frequencies due to random chance events. Two types are the Founder effect and the Bottleneck effect. The founder effect is when a subset of a population goes to a new are where there are no other of that same species. The bottleneck effect is when a large population is reduced to a small population. Genetic drift decreases variation in a population and has a greater effect on a smaller population than a larger one.


The change in the inherited traits of populations of organisms over time is known as?

It is called genetic drift.


Genetic drift resulting from a disaster that drastically reduces population size is called?

The bottleneck effect.


What is the effect of genetic drift of selectively neutral genetic variation is to?

The effect of genetic drift on selectively neutral genetic variation is to cause random fluctuations in allele frequencies within a population over time. This can lead to the loss or fixation of alleles, contributing to genetic divergence between populations. Since the variation is selectively neutral, these changes are not driven by natural selection but rather by chance events, particularly in small populations. Over time, genetic drift can reduce genetic diversity and impact the evolutionary trajectory of the population.


Is genetic drift an example of macroevolution?

No, genetic drift is an example of microevolution.


Does genetic drift occur in small or large populations?

Genetic drift is more pronounced in small populations because chance events can have a greater impact on allele frequencies. In contrast, in large populations, genetic drift is less influential due to the dilution effect of a larger gene pool.