changes in the gene pool can occur due to various mechanisms. in 1989, a large oil spill occurred in prince…

changes in the gene pool can occur due to various mechanisms. in 1989, a large oil spill occurred in prince william sound, alaska, when the exxon valdez oil tanker ran aground. approximately 11 million gallons of oil were spilled and spread 1,300 miles along the alaskan coastline. the damage from the oil spill affected thousands of animals in the area, including killer whales, harbor seals, sea otters, fish, and sea birds. which mechanism most likely affected the gene pools of the organism populations in the areas around the oil spill?\n\n genetic drift\n gene flow\n gene mutation\n genetic variation
Answer
Brief Explanations:
Genetic drift is a mechanism of evolution in which allele frequencies of a population change over generations due to chance (sampling error). A large - scale event like an oil spill can cause a drastic reduction in the population size (bottleneck effect, a type of genetic drift), which affects the gene pool. Gene flow is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. Gene mutation is a change in the DNA sequence. Genetic variation is the presence of differences in sequences of genes among individual organisms. The oil - spill likely caused a bottleneck effect, which is a form of genetic drift.
Answer:
genetic drift