What is an example of a bottleneck in analyzing population genetics?

Answer 1

Yeah, here's another example for you that might make more sense. Several thousands of years ago, a boat with 17 people on it landed on a deserted peninsula with no other inhabitants. Today, that peninsula is called Finland, and the entire modern Finnish population is thought to have been derived from those original 17 settlers. Though there were probably many millions of human beings alive at the time of the founding of the Finnish population, only seventeen contributed to the future Finnish generations. That's a bottleneck.

Answer 2

The above answers are good ones. Let me add some clarity. Think of a bottle: fat at the bottom (animal population numbers before reduction), skinny at the neck (animal population right afterwards), and wide again above the neck (animal population numbers recovering). A population of animals of the same species has a "gene pool" that includes the genes of all the animals in it; since the animals are unique from each other, each animal's genes are slightly different from its neighbor's. The more animals, the bigger the gene pool, and the more variety in it. A single event that reduces the population by a significant amount (typically more than half, often much more than that), is the bottleneck event (a hurricane, human development, etc.). It greatly reduces the variety in the characteristics of animals that are born after this event, because there were only a few parent animals, and therefore a much smaller gene pool, from which these new animals could arise.

An example might include the Florida panther; over a relatively short period of time (80 years or so) human activities have greatly reduced panther habitat in the state such that this species was reduced to very low numbers a few years ago. The current population has rebounded somewhat, but the existing animals are all very similar to one another since they all came from a smaller gene pool.

It is generally agreed amongst population ecologists that low diversity in a population weakens it and can lead to "extirpation" (dying out of the species in that particular area). The FL panther--Felis concolor-- is the same species as, for example, the mountain lion in the western US, so the species would not be extinct if FL panthers were to be wiped out, but an important population, and a source of diversity for the species, would be gone.

Answer 3

Here's an article about deforestation causing a genetic bottleneck. Tropical rainforest areas that are turned into pastures may still have some trees standing. The article says that these few trees dominate the reproduction in the nearby rainforest. That's going to reduce the individuals reproducing - a bottleneck.

Answer 4

Let's say, perhaps, that there were a population of antelope in a field grazing when suddenly an asteroid fell and killed 3/4 of the population. The remaining antelope would most likely not correctly represent the allelic frequencies of the original population; ie. there would be a sampling error. Thus, some alleles from the original population would possibly be lost and others may be grossly misrepresented.

Answer 5

I keep dreaming approximately people I have no thoughts or want as much as now, and that i dream that i'm in a relationship with them. final night replaced into yet another such dream with a chum i haven't considered in like 3 months.