Why are gene pools of small populations reduced compared to those of larger populations?
a-lack of suitable mates
b-lack of advantageous traits
c-inbreeding
d-bottleneck events
d-bottleneck events.
Bottleneck events occur when a population undergoes a drastic reduction in its size, which greatly reduces the diversity of the gene pool. This reduction in genetic diversity makes it more likely for harmful alleles to become dominant and can lead to inbreeding and reduced fitness. Small populations are more susceptible to bottleneck events as they have less genetic variation to begin with and are more vulnerable to sudden environmental changes. Thus, gene pools of small populations are reduced compared to those of larger populations.