Genetic drift can result in the fixation of a harmful allele in a small population.

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Genetic drift is a random process that can cause certain alleles to become more or less common in a population over time. In small populations, genetic drift can have a particularly strong effect because there are fewer individuals to reproduce and pass on their genes. If a harmful allele happens to become more common due to chance events, such as the death of individuals carrying the normal allele, it can eventually reach fixation (100% frequency) in the population. This can have negative consequences for the health and fitness of the population.

Genetic Drift Can Result in the Fixation of a Harmful