• Genetic Drift
  • Sampling error and evolution
  • Effects of genetic drift
  • Bottlenecks and founder effects

Genetic Drift

Genetic drift—along with natural selection, mutation, and migration—is one of the basic mechanisms of evolution.

In each generation, some individuals may, just by chance, leave behind a few more descendents (and genes, of course!) than other individuals. The genes of the next generation will be the genes of the “lucky” individuals, not necessarily the healthier or “better” individuals. That, in a nutshell, is genetic drift. It happens to ALL populations—there’s no avoiding the vagaries of chance.

Earlier we used this hypothetical cartoon. Genetic drift affects the genetic makeup of the population but, unlike natural selection, through an entirely random process. So although genetic drift is a mechanism of evolution, it doesn’t work to produce adaptations.

	•	Sampling error and evolution
	•	Effects of genetic drift
	•	Bottlenecks and founder effects

	Lesson plans for teaching about genetic drift