Chancy Cheetahs When humans began hunting cheetahs, their population declined ra
ID: 218708 • Letter: C
Question
Chancy Cheetahs
When humans began hunting cheetahs, their population declined rapidly. About 10,000 cheetahs remain in the wild, making them an endangered species. Researchers wonder whether population has the genetic variation needed to recover and adapt to future changes in the environment. Researchers quantified the genetic variation in the population by identifying the alleles for 47 genes. For every gene, the population was homozygous for a single allele. From this sample, they concluded that virtually no genetic variation remains among cheetahs.
Use this information to answer the following questions 7-11.
True/False:
7. Prior to hunting, the population likely had more alleles for the 47 genes.
8. The loss of genetic variation likely stemmed from an increase in the mutation rate.
9.Following the decline of cheetahs, the population would more likely adapt to environmental change.
10. The population was more likely to experience genetic drift before hunting than it was after hunting.
11. If the population of cheetahs continues to decline, genetic drift would be more likely to eliminate new alleles resulting from mutation.
Explanation / Answer
7. True. It is possible that the population had more alleles for the 47 genes
8.False. The loss stemmed from a declining population
9. True after the decline in the population the genes would definitely undergo mutational processes to make the cheetahs more capable of survival
10.False. A major catastrophic event would definitely be required for a genetic drift to occur.
11. True. If the population continues to decline there will be a rise in homozygosity resulting in accumulation of the same gene pool over and over again resulting in elimination of those alleles at some point of time.
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