A small population of wallabies lives on an island that was once connected to the mainland. Over many generations, several alleles have completely disappeared from the island population, although they are still present on the mainland. These alleles have probably disappeared due to

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Genetic drift is a mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in the frequency of alleles in a small population. In the scenario described, the disappearance of alleles from the island population of wallabies, which is isolated and presumably small, is most likely due to genetic drift. This process can lead to the loss of alleles over time, especially in small, isolated populations where the effects of random events can have a larger impact on allele frequencies.

A Small Population of Wallabies Lives on an Island That