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Question #46459
The Question
During primary succession on a newly formed volcanic island, a barren area is colonized by a small number of pioneer plant species, eventually progressing to a stable climax community. Integrating principles of population genetics and community ecology, which of the following statements is INCORRECT regarding the evolutionary dynamics of these colonizing lineages?
Options
- A.
The initial colonization event induces a Founder Effect, leading to stochastic allele frequency drift that deviates from the mainland source population.
- B.
The genetic diversity of the pioneer lineage in the climax community remains historically constrained by the genetic makeup of the earliest arrivals.
- C.
The transition to a climax community ensures that final allele frequencies are purely deterministic and optimized for the niche, completely overriding initial genetic drift.
- D.
The pioneer population will initially exhibit reduced heterozygosity and may be more susceptible to inbreeding depression during early seral stages.
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Correct Answer
Step-by-Step Solution
Explanation
How the Examiner Thinks
Evolutionary_Exception
Tackle problems where standard rules evolve or change based on specific environmental constraints.
Concepts Behind This Question
Allele Frequency Drift|Ecological Succession Climax
Why This Question Is Tricky
Common Mistakes
Conceptual Pivot: The misconception that a 'Climax Community' is a perfectly optimized, deterministic endpoint.
Students often fail to realize that ecological succession is historically constrained by the stochastic genetic makeup of the pioneer species (Founder Effect).
Natural selection during seral stages is limited by the initial genetic drift, meaning the climax state is path-dependent, not just niche-optimized.
Quick Facts About This Question
Question Information
| Subject | Biology |
| Chapter | Evolution - Class 12 |
| Concept | Allele Frequency Drift |
| Difficulty | 8 |
| Cognitive Load | 5 |
| Target Solve Time | 120 sec |
| Access | Free |