Review the formula for effective population size: Ne = . Imagine a population of 1,000 small rodents. Of these, 300 are breeding females, 300 are breeding males, and 400 are nonbreeding juveniles. What is the effective population size?

Question

Review the formula for effective population size: Ne =  . Imagine a population of 1,000 small rodents. Of these, 300 are breeding females, 300 are breeding males, and 400 are nonbreeding juveniles. What is the effective population size?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Effective population size (Ne) takes into account the number of breeding individuals in a population, as well as the genetic contribution of each individual to the next generation. In this case, the number of breeding individuals is 600 (300 females and 300 males), and the proportion of offspring contributed by each individual is assumed to be equal, so the effective population size can be calculated as Ne = (4NfNm)/(Nf+Nm), where Nf is the number of females, Nm is the number of males, and the factor of 4 accounts for the fact that each breeding pair contributes 2 offspring. Substituting the values given, we get Ne = (4x300x300)/(300+300) = 600. Therefore, the best choice is C.

Review the Formula for Effective Population Size: Ne =