A population of cheetahs on the plains in southern Africa has very little genetic variation compared to other species in the area. Scientists are concerned that the cheetah population will not survive extreme environmental changes. What is the name of the effect the scientist observed and why is it a concern? (1 point)

Question

Disaster effect, because the cheetahs have mutated to produce ineffective proteins

Frameshift mutation, because it only produces Ineffective proteins

Bottleneck effect, because environmental stresses affecting one cheetah could affect them all

Substitution mutation, because the these mutations cannot be passed to offspring

Answer 1

The correct answer is Bottleneck effect, because environmental stresses affecting one cheetah could affect them all.

The bottleneck effect occurs when a population's size is significantly reduced for at least one generation, leading to a loss of genetic diversity. In the case of cheetahs, the low genetic variation means that the entire population may be similarly susceptible to diseases and environmental changes, making their survival more precarious.