Polydactyly (having more than five fingers on a hand) is much more common in some isolated human populations than it is elsewhere.This is most likely an example of a(n) _______, which is due to the evolutionary mechanism called _______.
A) founder effect; gene flow
B) founder effect; genetic drift
C) adaptation; gene flow
D) genetic ratchet; gene flow
E) genetic ratchet; genetic drift

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The founder effect occurs when a small sample of a population establishes a new colony, resulting in a loss of genetic variation. Genetic drift is a mechanism of evolution that occurs when chance events cause random fluctuations in allele frequencies in a population. In this case, polydactyly is more common in isolated populations, suggesting that a small sample of ancestors carried the genetic trait that leads to polydactyly and passed it on to their descendants, leading to a higher frequency of the trait in these populations. This is an example of the founder effect in action. Therefore, the best answer is B: founder effect; genetic drift.

Polydactyly (Having More Than Five Fingers on a Hand) Is