Final answer:
When a population experiences a bottleneck while already manifesting inbreeding depression, it can result in a further decrease in genetic diversity and an increase in abnormalities and disease. The combination of these two factors can have detrimental effects on the population's fitness and ability to adapt. Inbreeding depression occurs when closely related individuals mate, leading to reduced reproductive success and survival rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a population experiences a bottleneck while already manifesting inbreeding depression, the result can be a further decrease in genetic diversity and an increase in abnormalities and disease. Inbreeding depression occurs when closely related individuals mate, resulting in a reduced reproductive success and survival rate. The bottleneck effect occurs when a population goes through a drastic reduction in size, leading to a limited number of individuals contributing to the gene pool of future generations.
During a bottleneck event, the genetic diversity of the population is significantly reduced because only a small subset of individuals survive. This can result in a higher frequency of harmful alleles and a decrease in overall fitness. Inbreeding depression can exacerbate these effects, as the combination of related genomes during fertilization can further reduce reproduction and survival.
An example of this scenario could be a population of endangered species that is already exhibiting inbreeding depression due to a small population size and limited genetic diversity. If a natural disaster or other catastrophic event further reduces the population size, the genetic effects can be magnified. The surviving individuals would have a limited genetic variation, making it harder for the population to adapt and survive in the future.