The sharp reduction of the gene pool and the numbers of a population through a severe epidemic is an example of
A) natural selection.
B) genetic isolation.
C) the bottleneck effect.
D) the founder effect.
E) all of these.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The sharp reduction of the gene pool and the numbers of a population through a severe epidemic is an example of the bottleneck effect, as the population is reduced to a small, non-representative sample of the original gene pool. Natural selection, genetic isolation, and the founder effect all involve changes in the gene pool of a population, but they are not specific to a severe epidemic scenario. Therefore, the best choice is C, the bottleneck effect.

The Sharp Reduction of the Gene Pool and the Numbers