Question

read the following scenario to answer the following question(s).
over the past 60 years, many amphibian species have experienced significant population declines and some species have become extinct. scientists suspected that local human activities such as the destruction of wetlands, regional pollution, and deforestation were the main reasons for these losses. however, research over the past 20 years reveals significant amphibian population declines in protected areas of the world, such as nature preserves and parks. these global declines suggest widespread problems including increased ultraviolet radiation, acid rain, and disease. in switzerland, for example, 14 of the 20 native amphibian species are threatened with extinction.
some biologists urge the collection of the few remaining individuals of some of the most threatened amphibian species, to preserve them if they become extinct in the wild. if such captive breeding programs could produce thousands of individuals from just a few of the remaining survivors, the species will still be threatened because of ______.
o the founder effect
o mutations
o artificial selection
o a bottleneck effect

Explanation:

The founder effect occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. In this case, if only a few remaining individuals are used for captive breeding, it's similar to the founder effect. Mutations are random changes in DNA and not relevant here. Artificial selection is when humans select for certain traits, which isn't the issue. The bottleneck effect is a reduction in population size due to a random event (like a natural disaster), not starting from a few individuals for breeding.

Answer:

the founder effect