Which of the following is NOT a mechanism that influences individual variation in gene pools?

Question

A. Natural selection
B. genetic drift
C. recombination
D. all of these mechanisms influence individual variationin gene pools?

Answer 1

It is A and for two reasons. As has been said, only populations, not individuals are affected, though individual phenotypes are selected. More importantly, though, natural selection does not " see " the genotype, but selects directly on the phenotype. This is what changes allele frequency.
So, A.

To all you ignoramuses that are giving the thumbs down; get an evolutionary education!!!!!!

Answer 2

D: Variation is necessary for evolution to occur. There are 5 areas that can cause variation:

1. Genetic Drift: This represents random changes in small gene pools due to sampling errors in propagation of alleles. The bottleneck effect and founder effect are prime examples of genetic drift. In either case the number of individuals in a population is drastically reduced distorting the original allelic frequencies.

2. Gene Flow: The movement of alleles into and out of a gene pool. Migration of an organism into different areas can cause the allelic frequencies of that population to increase. Most populations are not isolated, which is contrary to the Hardy-Weinberg Theorem.

3. Mutations: These changes in the genome of an organism are an important source of natural selection.

4. Nonrandom mating: Inbreeding is a popular form of nonrandom mating. Individuals will mate more frequently with close individuals than more distant ones. Assortive mating, is another form of nonrandom mating. Here the individuals will mate with partners that closely resemble themselves in certain characteristics.

5. Natural Selection: Populations vary in the types of individuals and their reproductive success. Those individuals who leave more offspring behind than others, pass on more of their alleles and have a better success rate in dominating the population.

Answer 3

The answer is D.
I disagree with those that say natural selection is not a mechanism for individual variation, as it has clearly affected the preceding generations, influencing the presence of variations between individuals.

Answer 4

I'd have to agree with the other chap,,,, this is a trick question. Individual variation is not affected by natural selection. Natural selection only influences variation accross the total gene pool.

Answer A

Also, natural selection acts to simply remove parts of the gene pool, rather than to cause variation amoung it (like mutation, or recombination does).

Answer 5

Natural Selection affects the gene variation of a groupe as a whole but not individuals.

Answer 6

A. Natural selection happens to populations not individuals.

Answer 7

D