A population of rare frogs is reduced by 90% in number when a large dam is constructed that obliterates most of their prior habitat. Which of the following is probably TRUE?
A)The genetic diversity of the remaining frogs is unlikely to be different from the original population.
B)The effects of natural selection on the smaller population's genetic variation will not be significant.
C)Speciation cannot occur through genetic drift alone.
D)The remaining frogs have reduced genetic diversity.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The drastic reduction in population size is likely to result in a reduction of genetic diversity, as some alleles are lost from the gene pool through genetic drift. The small remaining population may not reflect the diversity of the original population, and the effects of natural selection on the surviving population's genetic variation may be significant. While genetic drift alone can cause speciation, it is less likely to occur in a small population that has lost genetic diversity due to a bottleneck such as this.

A Population of Rare Frogs Is Reduced by 90% in Number