Question

What is the bottleneck effect in population genetics?

Options

• The gradual decrease in population size over many generations

• The sudden reduction in population size due to natural calamities, resulting in random loss of alleles and reduced genetic variation

• The increase in mutations during periods of environmental stress

• The migration of individuals into a population from another location

Answer 1

The bottleneck effect describes the sudden reduction in population size caused by natural calamities or other factors, leading to random loss of alleles and significantly reduced genetic variation in the surviving population. This differs from the founder effect in that it occurs in an established population rather than through migration.