Question

1. a population of turtles lives on the coast of a small island. a hurricane strikes the island, and many turtles in this population do not survive. which sentence describes what will likely happen to the gene pool of this population?

it will increase due to inbreeding.
it will experience a genetic bottleneck.
it will undergo the founder effect.
it will remain constant over time due to chance.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the "inbreeding" option: Inbreeding usually leads to a decrease in genetic diversity (e.g., more homozygous individuals) and doesn't cause an increase in the gene pool. So this option is incorrect.
2. Analyze the "genetic bottleneck" option: A genetic bottleneck occurs when a population's size is drastically reduced (like the turtles dying in the hurricane), leading to a decrease in genetic variation in the gene pool. This matches the scenario.
3. Analyze the "founder effect" option: The founder effect happens when a small group starts a new population, not when a disaster reduces the existing population. So this is incorrect.
4. Analyze the "remain constant" option: A disaster reducing population size will change the gene pool (due to loss of alleles), so it can't remain constant. This is incorrect.

Answer:

B. It will experience a genetic bottleneck.