Genetic Drift

What is Genetic Drift? 

Genetic drift is a shift in a population's allelic frequencies due to random chance events. It can lead to the loss of alleles and a decline in genetic diversity. 

Until this week, I was uncertain about the mechanism of drift. I knew it was due to random chance but I wasn't able to fully wrap my head around the concept. The example of Northern Elephant Seals helped me to understand that drift is not as complicated as I thought. I also now understand how the bottleneck and founder effects contribute to genetic drift and the loss of certain alleles. 



 


Comments

  1. Miguel MejiaNovember 6, 2024 at 4:41 PM

    I had the same concern about the mechanism of drift but got a better understanding after reading this! Great comment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KelleyNovember 10, 2024 at 5:43 PM

    Hi Brooke! I love your drawing! It really shows what drift is and what it is not. Prior to this class, I was also confused about the mechanism of drift but the bottleneck and founder effects also helped me understand.

    ReplyDelete

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