founder effect
A type of genetic drift when a small group leaves a larger population and creates a new population causing more rare and unique alleles
The founder effect is a phenomenon in genetics where a small group of individuals, typically a founding population of a new location or isolated breeding group, establish a new population after migration. As a result of the founding population’s limited genetic diversity, there is a loss of variability in the new population, leading to a higher occurrence of some genetic diseases and conditions.
The founder effect can affect evolution by causing the new population to diverge from the old population genetically through genetic drift. The genetic differences found in the founding population become magnified over time in the new population, leading to the development of new traits and characteristics.
One of the most famous examples of the founder effect can be observed in the Amish community, where a group of young founders migrated from Europe to the United States in the 18th century. Today, the Amish community still consists of genetic descendants of that original founding population, resulting in a higher risk of specific genetic disorders.
Overall, the founder effect is an essential concept in genetics and evolution that describes the impact of small population sizes on genetic diversity in new populations.
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