Question

Consider the following two populations. Population A has about 10,000 breeding individuals while Population B has about 50 breeding individuals. In principle, should the outcome of directional natural selection be the same in each population? In practice, what is likely to happen?

Answer 1

In population A, with 10,000 breeding individuals, natural selection is likely to result in a greater diversity of adaptations compared to population B with only 50 breeding individuals. Due to the smaller population size, population B is more susceptible to genetic drift, which can cause the loss of genetic diversity and a reduction in adaptation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The outcome of directional natural selection is likely to be different in each population. In population A, with 10,000 breeding individuals, there is a larger pool of genetic variation, allowing for more potential adaptations to be favored. Therefore, natural selection in population A is likely to result in a greater diversity of adaptations compared to population B.

In practice, population B with only 50 breeding individuals is more susceptible to genetic drift, which is the random change in allele frequencies over generations due to chance events. Genetic drift can cause the loss of genetic diversity and potentially lead to the fixation of certain alleles in a population. Therefore, in population B, we are more likely to see a decrease in genetic variation and a reduction in adaptation compared to population A.