Which of the following scenarios will decrease the genetic variation of a population?(1 point)

Question

Responses

a mutation alters the sequence of a gene resulting in a new allele
a mutation alters the sequence of a gene resulting in a new allele

a mutation in a chromosome makes it more likely to undergo genetic recombination
a mutation in a chromosome makes it more likely to undergo genetic recombination

a population of birds suddenly decrease their frequency of sexual reproduction
a population of birds suddenly decrease their frequency of sexual reproduction

an individual works out, increasing their muscle mass

Answer 1

The scenario that will decrease the genetic variation of a population is:

a population of birds suddenly decrease their frequency of sexual reproduction.

When sexual reproduction decreases, there are fewer opportunities for new combinations of alleles, which can lead to a reduction in genetic diversity over time. The other options either introduce new variation (mutations) or are not related to genetic variation at the population level (e.g., an individual increasing muscle mass does not affect the population’s genetic variation).