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\ngenetic drift\ngene flow\ngene mutation\ngenetic variation

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\ngenetic drift\ngene flow\ngene mutation\ngenetic variation

Answer

Answer:

genetic drift

Brief Explanation:

The oil - spill is a random, catastrophic event that likely caused a drastic reduction in the population size of affected organisms. Genetic drift, especially the bottleneck effect (a type of genetic drift where a population is suddenly reduced in size), is most likely to have affected the gene pools of these organisms. Gene flow involves the transfer of genes between populations, gene mutation is a change in DNA sequence, and genetic variation is a general term for differences in genes. The oil - spill situation best fits genetic drift.