Small Populations are Most Vulnerable to ________ and ________

Question

Small populations are most vulnerable to ________ and ________.
A)inbreeding, genetic drift
B)inbreeding, disease
C)genetic drift, heterozygosity
D)loss of variation, small mate choice
E)loss of adaptability, heterozygosity

Accepted Answer

Inbreeding and genetic drift are both mechanisms that reduce genetic diversity within a small population. Inbreeding can lead to an increase in homozygosity and the expression of harmful recessive traits. Genetic drift is a random process where alleles can be lost or fixed in a population, leading to reduced genetic variation. Both of these factors can increase the vulnerability of a small population to environmental changes and disease outbreaks.