An isolated population of humans with approximately equal numbers of b...
When the population is at decline, the number of individuals may reduce to a extent that the small group of population constituting the population becomes isolated and restricted on distribution. These are then exposed to random genetic drift resulting in the fixation of certain genes. Thus, the population re-estacblishes its former nichness. Such reduction in allele frequencies is called a genetic bottle-neck effect which often prevents the species from extinction.
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An isolated population of humans with approximately equal numbers of b...
Bottleneck Effect
The bottleneck effect is a type of genetic drift that occurs when a population is drastically reduced in size due to a random event or catastrophe. This leads to a significant loss of genetic diversity within the population. In the given scenario, the earthquake caused a drastic reduction in the population, leaving only a few brown-eyed individuals to form the next generation. This situation exemplifies the bottleneck effect.
Explanation:
1. Initial Population
- The isolated population initially had approximately equal numbers of blue-eyed and brown-eyed individuals.
- This indicates that both eye colors were present in the gene pool of the population.
2. Earthquake and Population Reduction
- The population experienced an earthquake, which caused a significant reduction in its size.
- The earthquake was a random event that was not selective for any specific eye color.
- As a result, both blue-eyed and brown-eyed individuals were equally affected by the catastrophe.
3. Few Brown-Eyed Survivors
- After the earthquake, only a few brown-eyed individuals remained in the population.
- This means that the majority of the population was composed of blue-eyed individuals who did not survive the catastrophe.
- The surviving brown-eyed individuals became the founders of the next generation.
4. Loss of Genetic Diversity
- The bottleneck effect occurs because the surviving individuals represent only a small fraction of the original population.
- Due to their limited numbers, the genetic diversity of the population is significantly reduced.
- The gene pool of the next generation will be dominated by the genes of the few surviving brown-eyed individuals.
5. Increased Genetic Drift
- The reduced population size increases the impact of genetic drift, which is the random change in gene frequencies over time.
- Genetic drift becomes more pronounced when the population size is small, as in this case.
- This means that the frequency of certain genes, including those responsible for eye color, may change purely by chance, leading to potential differences in the next generation's eye color distribution.
Conclusion:
The bottleneck effect occurs when a population goes through a significant reduction in size, leading to a loss of genetic diversity. In the given scenario, the earthquake caused a drastic reduction in the population, leaving only a few brown-eyed individuals to form the next generation. This resulted in a change in the gene pool and potentially different eye color distributions in the future population. Therefore, the correct answer is option 'C' - bottleneck effect.
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