Question

which scenario describes an example of founder effect?
a small number of british colonists occupied a small island between sou and africa during the early 1800s, establishing a new population. this population has different allele frequencies from the original population of britain.
a mistake during dna replication causes the offspring of a yellow flowering plant to have blue flowers. the blue flower trait is passed on to successive generations.
in a population of rabbits, some individuals have spotted fur, which makes them more susceptible to predation. the proportion of rabbits that have spots decreases in the population for several generations.

Explanation:

The founder effect occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. This new population will have different allele frequencies compared to the original population.

• In the first option, it is about gene flow (mating between different populations).
• In the second option, a small number of British colonists (a small subset of the original British population) occupied a new island and established a new population with different allele frequencies from the original British population. This fits the definition of the founder effect.
• In the third option, it is about a mutation (a mistake during DNA replication causing a new trait).
• In the fourth option, it is about natural selection (spotted fur making rabbits more susceptible to predation, so their proportion decreases).

Answer:

A small number of British colonists occupied a small island between South America and Africa during the early 1800s, establishing a new population. This population has different allele frequencies from the original population of Britain.