A large population of fish live in a lake. The color of their scales is determined by two different alleles of the S gene, S1 and S2. Homozygous S1 fish have yellow scales, S2 homozygotes have blue scales, and heterozygotes are green. Scientists catch 100 fish at random and record their color. Among those 100 fish are 30 yellow, 50 blue, and 20 green ones. After the original sample is analyzed, an asteroid landed in the lake and killed all the fish that happened to be in one location. When 100 fish were sampled again, 15 were yellow, 75 were blue, and 10 were green. -By what mechanism did allele frequencies change due to the asteroid? A)Allele frequencies did not change because of the asteroid. B)The asteroid caused mutations in the fish population. C)The asteroid changed the environment, so fish with allele S² had increased fitness. D)The asteroid killed fish because of their location, so the allele frequency changed by chance.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The asteroid killed fish based on their location, not their genetics, which means the change in allele frequencies in the surviving population was due to random chance, a process known as genetic drift.

A Large Population of Fish Live in a Lake