Allele frequencies of a population can change by A. natural selection. B. genetic drift. C. mutations in the gene pool. D. founder effect. E. All of the above.

E. All of the above.

Explanation:

Natural selection is a process in which individuals with certain characteristics that makes them better fitted to survive in an environment become selected for and reproduce those changes in subsequent generations, which become more established than those individuals with characteristics that do not make them better adapted to the environment.

Genetic drift, by definition, is a change in the allele frequencies of a population over time due to evolutionary forces that selects individuals by chance. Founder effect, for example, is a factor that can increase the genetic drift in a population. Founder effect occurs when a new colony is established by a small number of a population that have come isolated from their original large population, and as a result of this, genetic variation is lost over time, as this new sub population becomes quite different from the original population.

Mutations in the gene pool of a population, is another evolutionary force that causes a change in allele frequencies as new alleles are introduced, or some alleles are taken away from a population.

Allele frequency, which refers to how common an allele of a trait is in a population, can be changed by natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, and also founder effect.

the answer would be 3

the african cheetah.

this species has a relatively low level of genetic

variation because the population was reduced to a small size approxi-

mately 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

chapter   outline

24.1

genes in populations and the hardy-

weinberg equation

24.2

factors that change allele and genotype

frequencies in populations

24.3     sources of new genetic variation

population   genetics

24

until   now,   we   have   primarily   focused   our   attention   on   genes  

within   individuals   and   their   related   family   members.   in   this  

chapter   and   chapters   25   and   26   ,   we   turn   to   the   study   of   genes   in  

a   population   or   species.   the   field   of

population   genetics

  is   con-

cerned   with   changes   in   genetic   variation   within   a   group   of   indi-

viduals   over   time.   population   geneticists   want   to   know   the   extent  

of   genetic   variation   within   populations,   why   it   exists,   and   how   it  

changes   over   the   course   of   many   generations.   the   field   of   popu-

lation   genetics   emerged   as   a   branch   of   genetics   in   the   1920s   and  

1930s.   its   mathematical   foundations   were   developed   by   theoreti-

cians   who   extended   the   principles   of   gregor   mendel   and   charles  

darwin   by   deriving   formulas   to   explain   the   occurrence   of   geno-

types   within   populations.   these   foundations   can   be   largely   attrib-

uted to three scientists: sir ronald fisher, sewall wright, and j. b. s.

haldane.   as   we   will   see,   support   for   their   mathematical   theories  

was provided by several researchers who analyzed the genetic com-

position   of   natural   and   experimental   populations.   more   recently,  

population   geneticists   have   used   techniques   to   probe   genetic  

variation   at   the   molecular   level.   in   addition,   staggering   advances  

in   computer   technology   have   aided   population   geneticists   in   the  

analysis   of   their   genetic   theories   and   data.   in   this   chapter,   we   will  

explore   the   genetic   variation   that   occurs   in   populations   and   con-

sider   the   reasons   why   the   genetic   composition   of   populations   may  

change over the course of several generations