Biology / Unit 8 Bio 1759 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Founder Effect
Captions available
The idea
The founder effect occurs when a small group splitting off, by chance, does not reflect the larger population's allele frequencies, and descendants inherit the skew.
In practice
A small colonizing group with a high proportion of one allele can found a population where that allele stays unusually common.
Where people slip
The founder effect is a form of drift specific to a founding moment, not selection.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Biology