Which of the following is true of cannibalistic beetles in a box and the coalescent process?
A) Events of interest occur rapidly early on, but more slowly later.
B) Genetic drift is most important when the population size is large.
C) The process runs backward in time.
D) The last event of interest occurs the most quickly.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The coalescent process describes the genealogy of a group of individuals, tracing back to their most recent common ancestor. In the case of the cannibalistic beetles in a box, the coalescent process can be used to estimate the time until all individuals share a common ancestor. Events of interest in the coalescent process, such as coalescence events, occur more rapidly early on when there are more individuals, and slow down as the population size decreases. Therefore, option A is the correct answer. Option B is incorrect, as genetic drift is most important when the population size is small, not large. Option C is incorrect, as the coalescent process runs forward in time, tracing back to a common ancestor. Option D is also incorrect, as there is no last event of interest in the coalescent process.

Which of the Following Is True of Cannibalistic Beetles in a Box