Genetic variation is
A) favored by variation in the environment.
B) maintained in subpopulations of the same species.
C) generated by recombination.
D) disfavored by frequency-dependent selection.
E) a, b, and c

Question

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All of the choices (A, B, and C) contribute to the maintenance of genetic variation within a population. Variation in the environment can create different selection pressures that favor different alleles, which in turn maintains genetic diversity within the population. Subpopulations of the same species can become isolated from one another, allowing for different alleles to become fixed in each subpopulation, leading to genetic differentiation. Recombination during sexual reproduction shuffles the genetic material, creating new combinations of alleles, and therefore increasing genetic variation. Frequency-dependent selection means that the fitness of a particular allele depends on its frequency within the population, which can maintain genetic variation by preventing any one allele from becoming too common.

Genetic Variation Is