Two populations of a fly are isolated from all other populations. Population S l

Question

Two populations of a fly are isolated from all other populations. Population S lives on a very small island and has a population size of 103individuals. Population L lives on a continent and has a population size of 108individuals. Assume that the island population was founded by a small group of organisms that drifted on a log from the continent to the island.  The two populations have had no interchange of alleles since that time.   

1. Would you expect heterozygosity for most loci to differ among these two populations, and explain your reasoning.

2. Would you expect heterozygosity for most loci to differ among these two populations, and explain your reasoning.

Explanation / Answer

1). Genetic drift is the fluctuations in allele frequencies in gametes from generation to generation that occurs by chance. The phenomenon of genetic drift is characteristic of all populations. The changes in allele frequencies that cause genetic drift occur randomly and are generally unpredictable. Genetic drift changes are found to be more accelerated if the population size moves towards a reduction in size or shrink. Genetic drift reduces heterozygosity due to inbreeding.

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