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Question
Northern elephant seals are large marine mammals that live off the coast of southern California. In the late 1800s, they were hunted to near extinction. Conservation efforts by the Mexican government in the early 20th century restored their numbers with a breeding population of fewer than 100 individuals.
As a result, the northern elephant seal population demonstrates far less genetic diversity than southern elephant seals.
The hunting of the northern elephant seal population created which of the following phenomena resulting in the reduction of the population's genetic diversity?
Northern elephant seals are large marine mammals that live off the coast of southern California. In the late 1800s, they were hunted to near extinction. Conservation efforts by the Mexican government in the early 20th century restored their numbers with a breeding population of fewer than 100 individuals.
As a result, the northern elephant seal population demonstrates far less genetic diversity than southern elephant seals.
The hunting of the northern elephant seal population created which of the following phenomena resulting in the reduction of the population's genetic diversity?
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Solution
The correct option is C Bottleneck effect
A. The process of splitting a genetically homogenous population into two or more populations that undergo genetic differentiation and eventual reproductive isolation is called speciation.B. Adaptive radiation is a special evolutionary pattern characterised by rapid increase in the numbers of kinds of closely related species. It results in an evolutionary explosion of new species from a common ancestor. For example, Darwin's finches.C. Even if organisms do not move from place to place, yet occasionally their populations may be drastically reduced in size. This may occur due to flooding, drought or any other change in environment. The few surviving individuals may constitute a random genetic sample of the original population. This resultant alterations and loss of genetic variability is called bottleneck effect.D. Gene flow is the movement of alleles from one population to another, as a result of interbreeding between the members of two populations.E. Sometimes, one or a few individuals disperse and become the founder of a new, isolated population at some distance from their place of origin. These pioneers are not likely to have all the alleles present in the source population. Thus, some alleles may be lost from the new population and others may change drastically in frequency. This is called the founder effect.Hence the hunting of the northern elephant seal population created the phenomenon of Bottleneck effect.So, the correct answer is 'Bottleneck effect'.
A. The process of splitting a genetically homogenous population into two or more populations that undergo genetic differentiation and eventual reproductive isolation is called speciation.
B. Adaptive radiation is a special evolutionary pattern characterised by rapid increase in the numbers of kinds of closely related species. It results in an evolutionary explosion of new species from a common ancestor. For example, Darwin's finches.
C. Even if organisms do not move from place to place, yet occasionally their populations may be drastically reduced in size. This may occur due to flooding, drought or any other change in environment. The few surviving individuals may constitute a random genetic sample of the original population. This resultant alterations and loss of genetic variability is called bottleneck effect.
D. Gene flow is the movement of alleles from one population to another, as a result of interbreeding between the members of two populations.
E. Sometimes, one or a few individuals disperse and become the founder of a new, isolated population at some distance from their place of origin. These pioneers are not likely to have all the alleles present in the source population. Thus, some alleles may be lost from the new population and others may change drastically in frequency. This is called the founder effect.
Hence the hunting of the northern elephant seal population created the phenomenon of Bottleneck effect.
So, the correct answer is 'Bottleneck effect'.
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