The UCSD campus male junco population tails were,on average,36% white,whereas the tails of males from nearby mountain populations averaged 40-45% white.If this observed trait difference were due to a difference in the original colonizing population,it would be due to

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This observed trait difference can be attributed to a founder effect, which occurs when a small group of individuals colonizes a new area and their gene pool becomes isolated from the original population. The UCSD campus male junco population may have had a smaller founding group that had a different proportion of white-tailed individuals than the founding group of the mountain population. This can lead to genetic drift, where certain traits become more or less common in the isolated population due to chance events.

The UCSD Campus Male Junco Population Tails Were,on Average,36% White,whereas