Question

Large ears is a rare trait in a mainland population of mice. A female mice homozygous for very large ears arrives at an island that already contains mice after sneaking onto a boat. This will lead to a population with a higher incidence of big ears than the mainland population because of ____.

1) natural selection
2) gene flow
3) a bottleneck effect
4) increased mutation
5) genetic drift

Answer 1

Genetic drift would happen more quickly on an island compared to the mainland due to the smaller and more isolated population.

Step-by-step explanation:

Genetic drift would happen more quickly on an island compared to the mainland.

Genetic drift is the effect of chance on a population's gene pool. It occurs when some individuals have more offspring than others, leading to changes in allele frequencies.

On an island, the population is often smaller and more isolated, making them more susceptible to genetic drift. Natural events such as bottlenecks or founder effects can also magnify genetic drift on an island.