Final answer:
An example of a population that underwent the bottleneck effect is the population of Galapagos finches on the Daphne Major island in the Galapagos archipelago. The drought caused a scarcity of seeds, leading to a significant reduction in the population's genetic diversity and a shift in the average beak size. This event also resulted in a change in the available food sources and highlighted the role of selective pressures and genetic diversity in evolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
An example of a population that underwent the bottleneck effect is the population of Galapagos finches on the Daphne Major island in the Galapagos archipelago. In 1977, a severe drought caused a scarcity of seeds, the primary food source for the finches. As a result, only a small number of finches with large beaks, capable of cracking the tougher seeds, were able to survive and reproduce.
This led to a significant reduction in the genetic diversity of the finch population, as the offspring of the surviving finches inherited the large beak trait. Over time, as the population recovered, it remained predominantly composed of finches with large beaks, resulting in a shift in the average beak size of the population.
In addition to the bottleneck effect on the finch population, the region experienced a change in the available food sources, as the scarcity of seeds altered the natural selection pressures on the finches. This event highlighted the crucial role of selective pressures and genetic diversity in shaping the evolution of populations.