14
QuizMultiple Choice

Factors Affecting Biological Diversity

Question 14 • Biology_B_IC_Alt

A high population of greater prairie chickens once inhabited the prairies of Illinois. The conversion of the prairies into agricultural land caused the chickens to lose their habitat. Studies have concluded that this change greatly reduced the greater prairie chicken population. The habitat loss also resulted in a decrease in the population’s genetic variation.Which change in the gene pool occurred in the greater prairie chicken population?

Answer
A
gene mutation
B
gene flow
C
genetic drift
D
genetic resistance

Explanation

The conversion of prairie into farmland reduced the chicken population and its genetic variation. When a population becomes much smaller, some alleles may be lost by chance, changing the gene pool through genetic drift. Gene flow involves movement of alleles between populations, while mutation and genetic resistance do not describe this population decrease.

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