A scientist has been tracking and studying a population of deer in Yellowstone National Park. He surveys the population every six months. Usually, the population is thriving and has a gene pool with a wide variety of traits. But during one six-month period, an event occurred that affected the population, and when the scientist returned, the amount of genetic variation had decreased significantly. Which of the following is most likely the event that occurred to change the population?
A high population of greater prairie chickens once inhabited the prairies of Illinois. The conversion of the prairies into agricultural land caused the chickens to lose their habitat. Studies have concluded that this change greatly reduced the greater prairie chicken population. The habitat loss also resulted in a decrease in the population’s genetic variation.Which change in the gene pool occurred in the greater prairie chicken population?
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