Question

What is the founder's effect?

Answer 1

Hint: The more adaptable an organism is the greater its probability to survive. To adapt to a certain environment organisms need to evolve (develop certain characteristics over a period of time). Evolutionary biology is the study of these traits (characteristics) that are passed on to consecutive generations. An integral part of evolutionary biology is population genetics. It is a branch that focuses on the genetic diversity within a population.

Complete answer:
 Founder’s effect is a phenomenon that affects the genetic diversity within a population. A group of individuals separates from a larger population to form a new group. This is known as the founder’s effect. The newly formed group may distinctly vary from its original population. In 1942, Ernst Mayr, an evolutionary biologist had studied this effect.

Illustration of the founder’s effect

This effect is caused due to mutations in the gene, migration, or isolation of a particular group due to geographical barriers. The smaller this new group, the lower is the probability of its genotype being represented in the original population. Over a period this may lead to the formation of new species.
Inbreeding is usually observed in this new population. As the population is small inbreeding could also lead to their extinction. Due to inbreeding, the individuals may inherit a defective gene which is not a desirable outcome. With each successive generation, the individuals in this group could all together lose the traits prevalent in the parent population. The founder’s effect leads to less genetic diversity in the population.

Note: Genetic drift is a phenomenon that involves a change in the frequency of any trait (allele) in the genotype of individuals belonging to a particular population. Founder’s effect is considered a type of genetic drift. However, genetic drift involves the random selection of individuals.