Question

A small Dutch population settled in South Africa in the 17th century and became known as Afrikaners. By chance, a few Dutch settlers carried the gene for Huntington's disease. Today, Huntington's disease occurs at a relatively high frequency in this population. This is an example of ____.

a) Genetic drift
b) Founder effect
c) Natural selection
d) Mutation

Answer 1

The high incidence of Huntington's disease in the Afrikaner population due to certain genes from a small group of Dutch settlers is an example of the founder effect.

Step-by-step explanation:

The high frequency of Huntington's disease in the Afrikaner population of South Africa due to a few Dutch settlers carrying the gene is an example of the founder effect. The founder effect happens when a new population is established by a small number of individuals, and as a result, the genetic makeup of the new population is not representative of the original. Because the Dutch settlers were a small sample of the original population, the genetic disorder, which was carried by a few, became more common in their descendants than it might be in a larger, more varied population.