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Is inbreeding more likely to happen in larger populations or smaller populations and why?

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Final answer:

Small populations are more susceptible to the forces of genetic drift compared to large populations.

Step-by-step explanation:

Small populations are more susceptible to the forces of genetic drift. Large populations, on the other hand, are buffered against the effects of chance. If one individual of a population of 10 individuals happens to die at a young age before it leaves any offspring to the next generation, all of its genes-1/10 of the population's gene pool will be suddenly lost. In a population of 100, that's only 1 percent of the overall gene pool; therefore, it is much less impactful on the population's genetic structure.

User Jelle De Fries
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