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Genetic Drift? Explaination for a High Schooler?
Well I'm taking a biology class and we had homework and one of the questions is Genetic Drift and how it impacts an organism and I honestly don't have a clue what Genetic Drift is. I've googled it and everything and I just don't quite understand it. I know its an adaptation that doesn't necessarily help or harm and its most noticeable in a small population but that's it.
Can someone explain it more for me. Preferably can you explain it where you don't use so much scientific names...I am not that good at science...so yeahh
PLEASE HELP!
1 Answer
- snicky wicketLv 410 years agoFavorite Answer
Think of a sparrow, it needs to blend in with the field to escape being seen and eaten by a Hawk. As the sparrow has some random changes, those that are pure white or pure black are seen and eaten. Those who blend in are not seen and live to reproduce. That is the basic theory of evolution, that species evolve in a way that is beneficial.
Now suppose that the sparrows do not have predators because the island is so far from the mainland that no predators exist and food is plenty. But the population develops a spur on the rear of its foot. It neither helps attract mates, secure food or defend its nest. The new genetic trait is due to a gene variation "drifting " into the population and becoming dominant but not through evolutionary pressure. The trait is the result of genetic drift.
