Genetic drift operates in :-
- Small isolated population
- Large isolated population
- Fast reproductive population
- Slow reproductive population
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
The random changes in gene frequencies in a population occurring by chance alone rather than by natural selection are called genetic drift or the Sewall Wright effect. The effects of genetic drift are mostly visible in tiny isolated populations, although it occurs in all people.
Important Notes on Genetic Drift
- By genetic drift often the phenotype of this small population becomes different from the parent population.
- According to the Hardy-Weinberg principle, there are many factors that contribute to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Any change to this results in evolution.
- Gene flow, genetic drift, mutation, genetic recombination, and natural selection can affect this equilibrium.
- Gene frequency changes in the population during migration as new alleles get lost from the older population.
- Gene flow occurs when gene migration happens multiple times. If it occurs by chance, it is called genetic drift.
- The population from which the new one was formed became founders and this is called the founder effect.
Top Questions on evolution
- How does the process of Natural Selection affect Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium? Explain with the help of graphs.
- (a) “The process of evolution of different species in a given geographical area starts from a point and literally radiates to other geographical areas.” Explain it with an example.
(b) Cite an example where more than one adaptive radiation has occurred in an isolated geographical area. Name the type of evolution your example depicts. - (a) "The process of evolution of different species in a given geographical area starts from a point and literally radiates to other geographical areas." Explain it with an example.
(b) Cite an example where more than one adaptive radiation has occurred in an isolated geographical area. Name the type of evolution your example depicts. - A few stages and their respective time period in the evolutionary history of human beings are mentioned in the flowchart given below:
- 15 mya — Primates walking like gorillas and chimpanzees existed.
- 3–4 mya — Man-like primates walked in Eastern Africa. Fossils of their bones were discovered.
- 2 mya — This ancestor lived in the East African grasslands and ate fruits.
- 1.5 mya — This hominid had a brain size of 900 cc and probably ate meat.
- [(a)] Name one primate about 15 mya.
- [(b)] Name one place where fossils of primates were discovered in Eastern Africa.
- [(c)] Name the ancestor that lived in the East African grasslands about 2 mya.
- [(d)] Name the hominid that was found around 1.5 mya.
The given graph shows the range of variation among population members, for a trait determined by multiple genes. If this population is subjected to disruptive selection for several generations, which of the following distributions is most likely to result?
Questions Asked in NEET exam
A constant voltage of 50 V is maintained between the points A and B of the circuit shown in the figure. The current through the branch CD of the circuit is :
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- A ball of mass 0.5 kg is dropped from a height of 10 m. The ball hits the ground and rises to a height of 1.5 m. The impulse imparted to the ball during its collision with the ground is : (Take \(g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2\))
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- Collision and Impulse
Consider a water tank shown in the figure. It has one wall at \(x = L\) and can be taken to be very wide in the z direction. When filled with a liquid of surface tension \(S\) and density \( \rho \), the liquid surface makes angle \( \theta_0 \) (\( \theta_0 < < 1 \)) with the x-axis at \(x = L\). If \(y(x)\) is the height of the surface then the equation for \(y(x)\) is: (take \(g\) as the acceleration due to gravity)
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- Surface Tension
- Two cities X and Y are connected by a regular bus service with a bus leaving in either direction every T min. A girl is driving scooty with a speed of 60 km/h in the direction X to Y. She notices that a bus goes past her every 30 minutes in the direction of her motion, and every 10 minutes in the opposite direction. Choose the correct option for the period T of the bus service and the speed (assumed constant) of the buses.
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- Relative Velocity
Concepts Used:
Evolution
Evolution is a process that occurs in changes in the genetic content of a population over time. Evolutionary change is generally classified into two: microevolution and macroevolution. The process of changes in allele frequencies in a population over time is a microevolutionary process. Three main mechanisms that cause allele frequency change are natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow. On the other hand, macroevolution refers to change at or above the level of the species.