Suppose that the only remaining population of a certain reptile species lives on an African mountain and that there is no migration out of this large but isolated population. Which of the following describes the most likely future of this reptile population?
A) Evolution will continue because of mutations, assortative mating, and genetic drift.
B) The population will survive only as long as the environment remains constant.
C) The population will go extinct after a few generations because of inbreeding.
D) Evolution will promptly cease.
E) The bottleneck effect will cause major evolutionary changes in the isolated population.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Evolution in isolated populations can continue due to mutations introducing new genetic variations, assortative mating affecting allele frequencies, and genetic drift causing random changes in allele frequencies. These mechanisms do not require gene flow from external populations to occur.

Suppose That the Only Remaining Population of a Certain Reptile