What is Genetic Drift?
Genetic Drift is plays a very an important part in the evolutionary process of evolution. It refers to means the variation in allele frequencies from one generation to the next which happens because of the random sampling of gametes in finite a countable populations. This drift process happens in all types of populations whether small or large.
If the population size is small , then it exerts a strong force on the process of evolution through genetic drift. It happens because The reason behind it is that, if the population size is small then the variations are more extreme. But in actuality the change in allele frequency due to genetic drift is unpredictable. The mathematical theory describing this process was developed by Sewell Wright.
Genetic Drift
Genetic drift refers to the variation change in relative genotype or allele frequencies from one generation to the other. This is due to the errors made in the random sampling of randomly sampling gametes in a finite countable population. Distinct factors affect this process such as random mating, migration, fluctuations in population size, etc. Because this is a random process, thus, the outcome in any generation cannot be predicted. In this article, we will learn about genetic drift, its types, examples, mechanisms, etc.
Table of Content
- Genetic Drift Definition
- What is Genetic Drift?
- Types of Genetic Drift
- Genetic Drift Example
- Causes of Genetic Drift
- Mechanisms of Genetic Drift
- Genetic Drift vs Gene Flow
- Genetic drift vs Natural selection
- Impact of Genetic Drift