Genetic drift is an interesting process that affects how species change over time.
In simple words, genetic drift is like chance deciding how the genes of a group of living things change over many generations. It can happen in two main ways:
Bottleneck Effect: Imagine a big disaster that wipes out most of a group. The few that survive will pass on their genes, even if they don’t show the full variety of the original group. For instance, let's say a storm hits a group of green beetles and 90% of them die. The few that survive might all be brown. Now, brown becomes the main color, even though there were many green ones before.
Founder Effect: This happens when a small group moves to create a new population. Think about a few birds flying to a new island. If only a handful make it, those birds' genes will decide what traits are common in their new home. This can even lead to the development of new species!
Both of these effects show that evolution is not only about natural selection. Sometimes, randomness plays a big part in who survives and has babies. Overall, genetic drift helps us understand why some species change and adapt while others disappear, showing us just how complex evolution really is!
Genetic drift is an interesting process that affects how species change over time.
In simple words, genetic drift is like chance deciding how the genes of a group of living things change over many generations. It can happen in two main ways:
Bottleneck Effect: Imagine a big disaster that wipes out most of a group. The few that survive will pass on their genes, even if they don’t show the full variety of the original group. For instance, let's say a storm hits a group of green beetles and 90% of them die. The few that survive might all be brown. Now, brown becomes the main color, even though there were many green ones before.
Founder Effect: This happens when a small group moves to create a new population. Think about a few birds flying to a new island. If only a handful make it, those birds' genes will decide what traits are common in their new home. This can even lead to the development of new species!
Both of these effects show that evolution is not only about natural selection. Sometimes, randomness plays a big part in who survives and has babies. Overall, genetic drift helps us understand why some species change and adapt while others disappear, showing us just how complex evolution really is!