Final answer:
The statement is false as genetic drift is a random change in allele frequencies that is not directed towards more adapted traits. It can significantly affect small populations through events like the bottleneck and founder effects, leading to a reduction in genetic variation irrespective of adaptiveness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Genetic drift affects the genetic makeup of the population drifting it toward the more adapted genetic traits' is false. Genetic drift is defined as a change in the frequency of alleles in a population's gene pool due to chance events, rather than natural selection favoring more adapted traits. For example, in a scenario where a natural disaster indiscriminately reduces the population size, the survivors' alleles will define the new genetic makeup of the population, regardless of their adaptation, known as the bottleneck effect. Furthermore, when a small group splits off from a larger population and starts a new one, the founder effect can cause genetic drift that may not be representative of the original population's genetic diversity.
In summary, it is the random nature of genetic drift that differentiates it from adaptive evolutionary processes. Unlike natural selection, which promotes traits advantageous for survival, genetic drift can lead to a reduction in genetic variation and does not necessarily move a population towards more adapted genetic traits. As a consequence, genetic drift can even fix deleterious alleles in a population without regard to their adaptiveness.