Genetic drift

Question

Genetic drift

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Genetic drift is a mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in the frequency of alleles (variants of a gene) within a population. Unlike natural selection, which is a non-random process where alleles that confer a survival or reproductive advantage tend to increase in frequency, genetic drift can lead to changes in allele frequencies regardless of the alleles' effects on fitness. This process is particularly pronounced in small populations, where chance events can lead to large shifts in allele frequencies from one generation to the next. Over time, genetic drift can contribute to the divergence of populations genetically, which might lead to speciation events, especially if a beneficial mutation becomes fixed in a population through drift.

Genetic Drift