A bottleneck event reduces the population of bears in one area by 80%. Which statement is correct about the bears’ gene pool? A) It has temporarily increased, so disadvantageous traits are more likely to be passed on. B) It has temporarily decreased, so disadvantageous traits are more likely to be passed on. C) It has temporarily increased, so disadvantageous traits are less likely to be passed on. D) It has temporarily decreased, so disadvantageous traits are less likely to be passed on.
D) It has temporarily decreased, so disadvantageous traits are less likely to be passed on.
When a bottleneck event occurs and drastically reduces the population size, genetic diversity is also significantly reduced. This means that certain traits, including disadvantageous ones, are more likely to be lost from the gene pool.