Final answer:
The statement that genetic drift significantly affects allele frequencies in large populations is false. Genetic drift has a greater impact in small populations where chance events can more dramatically alter allele frequencies, while its effect in large populations is minimized due to the sheer number of individuals involved.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'In large random mating populations, random genetic drift is usually a significant factor in changing gene frequencies' is False. Genetic drift has a more pronounced effect in small populations rather than large ones because the random sampling of alleles can lead to significant changes in allele frequencies. In large populations, the impact of genetic drift is minimized because the large number of individuals means that the loss or gain of alleles due to random events has a negligible effect on the overall genetic makeup of the population. In contrast, in small populations, chance events can lead to the loss of genetic variation or significantly change allele frequencies through processes such as the founder effect or population bottlenecks.
In small populations, genetic drift can lead to random changes in allele frequencies, making it an important factor in the evolution of these populations. For example, if a natural disaster reduces a large population to just a few individuals (a bottleneck effect), the allele frequencies of the survivors may be quite different from those of the original population, significantly influencing the population's genetic makeup.
It is important to note that in large populations, genetic drift does not cause substantial changes in gene frequencies over time as it does in smaller populations. Instead, allele frequencies in large populations are more stable and less subjected to the whims of chance events.