Discuss the effects of population size on both the eventual fate of an allele (fixation, loss) and time to fixation. (via Genetic drift)
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What is genetic drift and why does it lead to the eventual fixation of alleles.
13. With regard to genetic drift, are the following statements true or false? If a statement is false, explain why. a. Over the long run, genetic drift leads to allele fixation or loss. b. When a new mutation occurs within a population, genetic drift is more likely to cause the loss of the new allele rather than the fixation of the new allele. c. Genetic drift promotes genetic diversity in large populations. d. Genetic drift is more significant in small populations.
Considering again the guppy populations with and without crayfish, researchers have sampled genotypes over several generations, with the clear expectation that the R allele should quickly fix in the population with crayfish due to selection. However, this was not observed, and the B allele was routinely found in the downstream population for as long as observations were made. What is the most likely population genetic process preventing the complete fixation of the R allele in the downstream population?