Question

The town council in Williamstown, affectionately known as “The Village Beautiful,” has decided to pave over a large pond in town. Unfortunately it is home to a large population of a rare amphibian. As a compromise, the town will set up ten smaller ponds as new homes for the amphibian. Biologists at the local college told the town council that it might seem like a good idea to separate the amphibians, but it may result in a loss of genetic diversity overall.

a. What evolutionary force could reduce genetic diversity in the amphibians overall when the population is split into the ten “subpopulations?” Explain.

b. The biologists further argue that the loss of genetic diversity could affect the ability of the amphibians to adapt to local conditions in the new ponds. Explain what they mean by this.

Answer 1

a) In case where the population of amphibians is divided into several small subpopulations, the gene flow with in the organism will be restricted due to barrier to the mating of individuals in various sub population. This is known as geographical isolation. This will further lead to loss of genetic diversity.

b) With reduced genetic diversity, the chances of an individual to adapt to a any adverse condition also reduces. The more random is the mating, the more diverse and fit species are produced.