Small populations are _______ likely to be near Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium than large populations, because genetic drift is _______ important in small populations.
A) more; more
B) more; less
C) less; more
D) less; less
E) None of the above; population size is not associated with the effect of genetic drift.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Small populations are more likely to be affected by genetic drift because there are fewer individuals available to contribute to the gene pool. As a result, random fluctuations in allele frequencies are more likely to occur, leading to deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. In contrast, large populations are less likely to experience genetic drift because there are more individuals available to contribute to the gene pool, which can help to buffer against random changes in allele frequencies. Therefore, small populations are less likely to be near Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium than large populations.

Small Populations Are _______ Likely to Be near Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium