Wildlife Population Genetics mcqs of Animals January 8, 2026March 27, 2024 by u930973931_answers 20 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/20 Subscribe 1. What does population genetics study? (A) Individual organisms (B) Entire ecosystems (C) Genetic variation within and between populations (D) Animal behavior 2. Which of the following is NOT a factor that can contribute to genetic variation in wildlife populations? (A) Mutation (B) Genetic drift (C) Natural selection (D) Uniformitarianism 3. What term describes the proportion of a particular allele in a population? (A) Phenotype (B) Homozygosity (C) Allele frequency (D) Genotype 4. Which of the following is NOT a mechanism of evolution that can alter allele frequencies in a population? (A) Phenotypic plasticity (B) Genetic drift (C) Gene flow (D) Natural selection 5. What does the Hardy-Weinberg principle describe? (A) The effects of genetic drift on allele frequencies (B) The relationship between genotype frequencies and allele frequencies in a population (C) The process of mutation in populations (D) The role of natural selection in shaping populations 6. In a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, what is the frequency of heterozygotes if the frequency of the dominant allele (A) is 0.6? (A) 0.24 (B) 0.36 (C) 0.60 (D) 0.48 7. Which of the following factors can lead to genetic drift? (A) Natural selection (B) Large population size (C) Gene flow (D) Founder effect 8. What is the term for a sudden reduction in population size resulting in a loss of genetic variation? (A) Mutation (B) Gene flow (C) Genetic drift (D) Genetic bottleneck 9. Which of the following is an example of gene flow? (A) Two populations of birds adapting to different food sources (B) A river splitting a population of fish into two isolated groups (C) Pollen from one flower fertilizing another flower of the same species (D) A mutation occurring in a population of insects 10. What term describes the random changes in allele frequencies over time due to chance events? (A) Genetic bottleneck (B) Gene flow (C) Natural selection (D) Genetic drift 11. What is the founder effect? (A) The movement of individuals between populations (B) The establishment of a new population by a small number of individuals (C) The loss of genetic variation due to a sudden reduction in population size (D) The introduction of new alleles into a population 12. Which of the following statements about genetic drift is true? (A) It is more pronounced in large populations (B) It leads to an increase in genetic variation (C) It has a greater impact on allele frequencies in small populations (D) It occurs primarily through natural selection 13. Inbreeding depression refers to: (A) The increase in genetic diversity due to mating between unrelated individuals (B) The loss of genetic diversity due to mating between closely related individuals (C) The improvement in fitness due to outbreeding (D) The spread of advantageous alleles within a population 14. Which of the following is NOT a consequence of inbreeding depression? (A) Reduced fertility (B) Decreased susceptibility to diseases (C) Increased homozygosity for harmful recessive alleles (D) Decreased fitness 15. What is hybrid vigor? (A) The loss of genetic diversity due to hybridization (B) The decreased fertility of hybrid offspring compared to purebred individuals (C) The tendency for hybrid offspring to exhibit traits intermediate between the two parental species (D) The increased fitness and vigor of hybrid offspring compared to purebred individuals 16. Which of the following is NOT a method used in wildlife population genetics studies? (A) Radio telemetry (B) DNA sequencing (C) Microsatellite analysis (D) SNP genotyping 17. SNP stands for: (A) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (B) Simple Nucleotide Polymerase (C) Structured Nucleotide Pair (D) Segmented Nucleotide Protein 18. Which of the following is a key consideration in wildlife conservation genetics? (A) Maintaining genetic uniformity within populations (B) Minimizing gene flow between populations (C) Maximizing genetic diversity within populations (D) Increasing inbreeding within populations 19. Genetic rescue refers to: (A) Introducing new alleles into a population to increase genetic diversity (B) Preventing the spread of disease through vaccination (C) Eliminating harmful alleles from a population through selective breeding (D) Restoring habitat to support wildlife populations 20. What is the minimum viable population size? (A) The threshold at which a population is considered endangered (B) The largest number of individuals a habitat can support sustainably (C) The number of individuals required for successful reproduction in a given year (D) The smallest number of individuals required to maintain genetic diversity and prevent extinction