Question

Why was the reduction of the bison population to under 1,000 individuals a bottleneck event for the species?
a.
It drastically reduced the gene pool of the species.
b.
It reduced the territorial range available to the species.
c.
Foreign genes were introduced by crossbreeding with cattle.
d.
It reduced the prevalence of recessive traits.


Please select the best answer from the choices provided

A
B
C
D

Answer 1

A

The population crash greatly reduced genetic diversity (the gene pool), which is the defining feature of a population bottleneck.