Final answer:
The founder effect leads to a decrease in genetic diversity in a population, resulting from a small sample of individuals starting a new population and changing allele frequencies. This can increase the incidence of certain genetic disorders.
Step-by-step explanation:
The founder effect occurs when a few individuals start a new population, leading to a decrease in genetic diversity. This happens because the new population is established from a small sample of the original population, resulting in a change in allele frequencies. As a result, the new population may have a higher incidence of certain genetic disorders that were common in the founding individuals.
For example, in the Afrikaner population of Dutch settlers in South Africa, the founder effect led to mutations that are common in Afrikaners but rare in most other populations. This has resulted in an unusually high incidence of Huntington's disease and Fanconi anemia in the Afrikaner population.
Overall, founder events can limit the genetic diversity of a population and increase the prevalence of certain genetic disorders.