Question

greater prairie chickens once inhabited about every county in wisconsin. by 1930, however, it was estimated that only about 55,000 birds inhabited the state. in 1950, only about 2,500 birds remained in four isolated areas in the center of the state and by 1960 these birds declined in abundance to about half this size (~1,250 birds). since 1960 the number of birds has fluctuated around this level. it is estimated that greater prairie chickens have a generation time of about two years. data were obtained from the mitochondrial dna of historic (1951-1954) and contemporary (1998-2000) samples of birds from wisconsin. the average number of alleles per gene locus were significantly lower in the contemporary samples compared to the historic samples. (hint: having only two alleles per gene is rare in any population). a. using your knowledge of evolution and speciation, what is the most probable explanation for the allele differences observed in the prairie chickens from the 1950's to the 2000's?

Answer 1

Answer: The most likely explanation for the allele differences observed in Greater Prairie Chickens between the 1950s and 2000s is genetic bottleneck. This occurs when a population experiences a significant reduction in its total size, resulting in a decrease in the amount of genetic diversity within the population. This can lead to a decrease in the number of alleles per gene locus, as individuals may carry the same alleles more frequently due to the reduced gene pool. In the case of Greater Prairie Chickens, it is possible that the population experienced a genetic bottleneck in the late 20th century, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity and a decrease in the number of alleles per gene locus in contemporary samples compared to historic samples.