QUESTION 6 Genetic drift is the change in the genetic make-up of a population due to random chance. In each generation, some individuals may, just by chance, survive and reproduce more than others. Which one or more of the following is an example(s) of genetic drift? Select all that apply. American bison were once very prevalent in North America but were hunted close to extinction in the late 1800s. The populations are recovering, but a lot of genetic variation was lost. A single bacterium has a mutation which makes it resistant to an antibiotic. It shares this whe with neighboring bacteria, and soon the population grows uncontrolled. A farmer grows tomatoes and sells them at a local farmers market. A population of rabbits have brown fur and white fur with brown fur being the dominant allele. Neither allele increases survival or reproduction. But over several generations the offspring are all brown.

Genetic drift refers to random changes in allele frequencies in a population, particularly in small populations, due to chance events. Let's analyze each of the provided examples to determine which ones illustrate genetic drift: 1. **American bison were once very prevalent in North America but were hunted close to extinction in the late 1800s. The populations are recovering, but a lot of genetic variation was lost.** - This is an example of genetic drift. The drastic reduction in population size due to hunting led to a loss of genetic variation, which is a hallmark of genetic drift. 2. **A single bacterium has a mutation which makes it resistant to an antibiotic. It shares this with neighboring bacteria, and soon the population grows uncontrolled.** - This is not an example of genetic drift. This scenario describes horizontal gene transfer and natural selection, where the mutation provides a survival advantage, rather than random changes in allele frequencies. 3. **A farmer grows tomatoes and sells them at a local farmers market.** - This is not an example of genetic drift. This scenario describes agricultural practices and does not involve random changes in allele frequencies in a population. 4. **A population of rabbits have brown fur and white fur with brown fur being the dominant allele. Neither allele increases survival or reproduction. But over several generations the offspring are all brown.** - This could be an example of genetic drift, especially if the population is small and the allele frequencies change randomly over generations. The fixation of the brown fur allele could occur due to random chance rather than selection. Based on this analysis, the examples that illustrate genetic drift are: - **American bison were once very prevalent in North America but were hunted close to extinction in the late 1800s. The populations are recovering, but a lot of genetic variation was lost.** - **A population of rabbits have brown fur and white fur with brown fur being the dominant allele. Neither allele increases survival or reproduction. But over several generations the offspring are all brown.**