Which combination of characteristics in a population would provide the greatest potential for evolutionary change?a. c. b. d.
large population, few mutations
large population, many mutations
small population, many mutations
small population, few mutations

Question

Which combination of characteristics in a population would provide the greatest potential for evolutionary change?a. c. b. d. 
   large population, few mutations 
 large population, many mutations 
 small population, many mutations 
 small population, few mutations

anonymous · Answer

The answer is C because.                                                                                                    In small, reproductively isolated populations, special circumstances exist that can produce rapid changes in gene frequencies totally independent of mutation and natural selection.  These changes are due solely to chance factors.  The smaller the population, the more susceptible it is to such random changes.  This phenomenon is known as genetic drift.

In order to get a better understanding of the potential effect of population size on evolution, it is useful to carry out a simple coin flipping experiment.  The expectation is that heads will turn up 50% of the time because there are only two sides to a coin--heads and tails.  If you flip a coin 10 times, it may or may not result in 5 heads.             There you go :)