Which process yields gene flow?

Which process yields gene flow?

• A. Mutation
• B. Natural selection
• C. Genetic drift
• D. The transfer of alleles between populations

Answer: (D)

Gene flow is the movement of alleles between populations, usually through the migration of individuals or the dispersal of gametes like pollen. When migrants carry their alleles into a new population, those alleles enter the local gene pool and can spread, making different populations more genetically similar over time. This transfer of alleles between populations is the essence of gene flow. Mutation adds new genetic variants within a population but doesn’t move alleles from one population to another. Natural selection changes allele frequencies based on differential survival or reproduction, not on moving alleles between populations. Genetic drift alters allele frequencies through random sampling within a population, especially small ones, again without transferring alleles to other populations.

Gene flow is the movement of alleles between populations, usually through the migration of individuals or the dispersal of gametes like pollen. When migrants carry their alleles into a new population, those alleles enter the local gene pool and can spread, making different populations more genetically similar over time. This transfer of alleles between populations is the essence of gene flow.

Mutation adds new genetic variants within a population but doesn’t move alleles from one population to another. Natural selection changes allele frequencies based on differential survival or reproduction, not on moving alleles between populations. Genetic drift alters allele frequencies through random sampling within a population, especially small ones, again without transferring alleles to other populations.