Consider Three Populations of a Plant Species, Each Isolated from Other

question 41

Multiple Choice

Consider three populations of a plant species, each isolated from other populations of the same species. Population X has contained approximately 100 individuals in each generation for the past 200 generations. Population Y has contained approximately 10,000 individuals in each generation for the past 200 generations. Population Z has contained approximately 1 million individuals in each generation for the past 200 generations. If genetic drift is the only evolutionary process acting on these populations, how can we expect the amount of genetic variation to differ among these populations?

• A) X will have the highest variation, Y will have intermediate variation, and Z will have the lowest variation.
• B) X will have the lowest variation, Y will have intermediate variation, and Z will have the highest variation.
• C) X and Z will have high variation, while Z will have low variation.
• D) All three populations will have the same amount of genetic variation.

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Definitions:

Boole's Inequality

A mathematical theorem that describes the upper bound on the probability of the union of several events, emphasizing the limitations of additive probabilities.

Hindsight Bias

The tendency to believe, after learning an outcome, that one would have foreseen it, often referred to as the "I-knew-it-all-along" phenomenon.

Overconfidence Bias

A cognitive bias which leads an individual to overestimate their knowledge, abilities, or control over situations.

Selection Bias

A type of bias caused by choosing non-random data for statistical analysis, which can cause the results to not be representative of the whole population.