A high population of greater prairie chickens once inhabited the prairies of Illinois. The conversion of the prairies into agricultural land caused the chickens to lose their habitat. Studies have concluded that this change greatly reduced the greater prairie chicken population. The habitat loss also resulted in a decrease in the population’s genetic variation.

Which change in the gene pool occurred in the greater prairie chicken population?
gene mutation
gene flow
genetic drift
genetic resistance

Genetic drift affects the population size and decreases genetic variability by setting some alleles and losing others. Option C. The exposed example is a case of genetic drift - bottleneck effect -.

What is genetic drift?

Genetic drift is an evolutive force. It refers to the random change that occurs in the allelic frequency of a population through generations.

The magnitude of this change is inversely related to the size of the original population.

These changes produced by genetic drift accumulate in time. Eventually, some alleles get lost, while some others might set. Genetic variation in the population decrease.

Genetic drift affects a population and reduces its size dramatically due to

a disaster or pressure ⇒ bottleneck effect

the population split ⇒ founder effect.

The exposed example is a case of the bottleneck effect. The conversion of the prairies into agricultural land and the consequent habitat loss is the pressure acting on this prairie chickens population. The population decreases in size and decreases its genetic variation.

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