The Dunkers are a religious group that moved from Germany to Pennsylvania in the mid-1700s. They do not marry with members outside their own immediate community. Today, the Dunkers are genetically unique and differ in gene frequencies, at many loci, from all other populations including those in their original homeland.
Which of the following mechanisms likely explains the genetic uniqueness of this population?
A) population bottleneck and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
B) heterozygote advantage and stabilizing selection
C) mutation and natural selection
D) founder effect and genetic drift

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The founder effect occurs when a small group of individuals moves away from a larger population, resulting in a subset of the genetic diversity of the original population being represented in the new population. This can lead to genetic differences between the two populations, as seen in the case of the Dunkers who moved from Germany and formed their own community in Pennsylvania. Genetic drift, which is the chance fluctuation of allele frequencies in a small population, is also likely to have contributed to the genetic uniqueness of the Dunkers.

The Dunkers Are a Religious Group That Moved from Germany