The birds on the island have changed over thousands of generations. This is called: which one is it a or b i don't understand this?
A. genetic drift: the change in allele frequency in a population
B. gene flow: when organisms move in or out of a population
Did the birds stay on the island and change over time?
or
Did the birds and other birds move onto and off of the island?
Yes
The correct answer in this case would be A. genetic drift: the change in allele frequency in a population.
To understand why genetic drift is the correct answer, let's break down the options:
A. Genetic drift refers to the random fluctuations in the frequency of different gene variants (alleles) within a population. This can happen due to chance events, such as random mating or the random deaths of individuals. Over time, genetic drift can lead to changes in the genetic makeup of a population.
B. Gene flow, on the other hand, refers to the movement of individuals from one population to another. This can introduce new genetic variations into a population or lead to genetic mixing between different populations. However, it does not directly explain or describe the changes in the birds' characteristics over generations on the island.
Considering that the question mentions changes occurring over thousands of generations, it is more likely that the change is a result of genetic drift, as it accumulates over time due to random events within a population.