All of the following important concepts of population genetics are due to random events or chance except
mutation
natural selection
the bottleneck effect
the founder effect
sexual recombination
I am pretty sure that the answer would be "natural selection", but I wanted a second opinion. THANK YOU!
To determine which of the options is not due to random events or chance, we need to understand the underlying mechanisms behind each concept.
1. Mutation: This is a random event that introduces new genetic variations into a population.
2. Natural Selection: This is the process whereby certain traits or variations become more or less common in a population due to differential reproductive success. Natural selection is not random but is driven by the environment.
3. The Bottleneck Effect: This occurs when a population is drastically reduced in size due to a random event, such as a natural disaster or disease outbreak. The resulting population is a random subset of the original population, leading to a loss of genetic diversity.
4. The Founder Effect: This happens when a small group of individuals establishes a new population in a new location, resulting in a limited genetic pool that may not be representative of the original population. It is a random event based on which individuals colonize the new area.
5. Sexual Recombination: This process involves the shuffling and recombination of genetic material during sexual reproduction, resulting in new combinations of alleles in offspring. Though the specific combinations that occur are random, sexual recombination is an integral part of genetic diversity in a population.
Given this information, you are correct in identifying "natural selection" as the concept that is not due to random events or chance. Natural selection is a deterministic process influenced by specific factors in the environment, such as predation, competition, or resource availability.