What accounts for the fact that polydactylism is prevalent and Tay-Sachs disease is virtually absent in one human population in the United States, while Tay-Sachs disease is prevalent and polydactylism is virtually absent in another?
A)Natural selection has promoted these differences since humans live in many different environments.
B)Mutation rates differ among different loci.
C)There is little gene flow between the two populations.
D)The populations are small, and therefore genetic drift is a major factor in the determination of allele frequencies.
E)The alleles are fixed in these populations.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Gene flow between populations is a major factor in determining the prevalence of genetic traits. Limited gene flow between the two populations in question would lead to the development of distinct genetic characteristics, such as the prevalence of polydactylism in one population and Tay-Sachs disease in another.

What Accounts for the Fact That Polydactylism Is Prevalent and Tay-Sachs