Answer:
D. Genetic drift does not increase the genetic diversity of a population. Instead, it can lead to a decrease in genetic diversity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Genetic drift is a random process that affects the frequency of alleles in a population. It occurs due to chance events, such as the random transmission of alleles from parents to offspring. Here's an explanation for each of the options:
A. It can lead to alleles being fixed in a population: This is true. Genetic drift can lead to the fixation of certain alleles in a population, meaning that all individuals in the population carry that allele.
B. It can lead to loss of alleles from a population: This is true. Genetic drift can also result in the loss of alleles from a population. When a rare allele is not passed on to the next generation due to chance, it can disappear from the population.
C. It results from the random transmission of alleles from parents to offspring: This is true. Genetic drift occurs because of random events during the transmission of alleles from parents to offspring. This randomness can lead to changes in allele frequencies in a population over time.
D. It can increase the genetic diversity of a population: This is not true. Genetic drift actually has the opposite effect. It tends to reduce genetic diversity in a population over time, especially in small populations, as chance events can cause the loss of alleles.
So, the correct answer is D. Genetic drift does not increase the genetic diversity of a population. Instead, it can lead to a decrease in genetic diversity.