GENETIC DRIFT

Defn: It is a mechanism of evolution in which allele frequencies of a population change over

generations due to chance (sampling error).

The concept was first introduced by Sewall Wright. He first used the term drift in 1929.

How is it different with natural selection?

Genetic drift causes evolution by random chance due to sampling error, whereas natural
selection causes evolution on the basis of fitness.

Key points
Genetic drift occurs in all populations of non-infinite size, but its effects are strongest in
small populations.
Genetic drift may result in the loss of some alleles (including beneficial ones) and
the fixation, or rise to 100 percent frequency, of other alleles.
Genetic drift can have major effects when a population is sharply reduced in size by a
natural disaster (bottleneck effect) or when a small group splits off from the main
population to found a colony (founder effect).
The bottleneck effect is an extreme example of genetic drift that happens when the size
of a population is severely reduced. Events like natural disasters (earthquakes, floods,
fires) can decimate a population, killing most indviduals and leaving behind a small,
random assortment of survivors. [Example: Elephant seals recently experienced a
population bottleneck caused by humans]
The founder effect is another extreme example of drift, one that occurs when a small
group of individuals breaks off from a larger population to establish a colony. The new
colony is isolated from the original population, and the founding individuals may not
represent the full genetic diversity of the original population. The founder effect is
similar in concept to the bottleneck effect, but it occurs via a different mechanism
(colonization rather than catastrophe). [Example: Ellis-van Creveld syndrome shows the
founder effect in a human population]

Examples of Genetic Drift:

1. The American Bison was hunted to near extinction and even today as the population has
recovered, the result is a population of bison with little genetic variation
2. A mother with blue eyes and a father with brown eyes can have children with brown or blue
eyes. If brown is the dominant allele, even though there is a 50% chance of having blue eyes,
they might have all children with brown eyes by chance.
3. A certain type of plant can produce blue or yellow flowers. During a fire, many yellow
flowers are destroyed and now since blue is the dominant allele, the plant reproduces
plants that only produce blue flowers.