The northern elephant seal was hunted almost to extinction during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Less than 100 seals were left to contribute to the gene pool of their future generations. Since the early 20^th century, the elephant seals have been protected by law in both the U.S. and Mexico. Over 100,000 seals now inhabit the western shores of North America, all related to the small population that survived the slaughter of hunters.
Scientists fear the elephant seals may be more susceptible to disease and pollution due to a ______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The bottleneck effect occurs when a population is drastically reduced in size, causing a loss of genetic diversity. As mentioned in the passage, the northern elephant seal population was hunted to near extinction, leaving fewer than 100 seals to contribute to the gene pool of future generations. This would have resulted in a bottleneck effect, and as a result, the elephant seals may be more susceptible to disease and pollution due to reduced genetic diversity. A heterozygous advantage or disruptive selection are not relevant to the situation described in the passage. The founder effect occurs when a small group of individuals establish a new population, but this is not relevant to the current situation since the elephant seals were not establishing a new population, but recovering from a bottleneck event.

The Northern Elephant Seal Was Hunted Almost to Extinction During