You want to study divergence of populations, and you need to maximize the rate of divergence in order to see results within the period of your grant funding. You will form a new population by taking some individuals from a source population and isolating them so the two populations cannot interbreed. What combination of characteristics would maximize your chance of seeing divergence in this study?
1) Choose a random sample of individuals to form the new population.
2) Choose individuals from one extreme to form the new population.
3) Choose a species to study that produces many offspring.
4) Choose a species to study that produces a few, large offspring.
5) Place the new population in the same type of environment as the source population.
6) Place the new population in a novel environment compared to that of the source population.
A) 1, 3, and 5
B) 1, 3, and 6
C) 2, 3, and 5
D) 2, 3, and 6
E) 2, 4, and 6

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Choosing individuals from one extreme (option 2) would increase the chance of genetic differences between the source and new populations. Studying a species that produces a few, large offspring (option 4) would also increase genetic divergence between the populations. Finally, placing the new population in a novel environment compared to the source population (option 6) would likely lead to different selection pressures and thus genetic differences. Therefore, options 2, 4, and 6 would maximize the chances of observing divergence in this study.

You Want to Study Divergence of Populations, and You Need