Genetic drift can be caused by a number of chance phenomena, such as differential number of offspring left by different members of a population so that certain genes increase or decrease in number over generations independent of selection, sudden immigration or emigration of individuals in a population changing gene …

Drift leads to an increase in homozygosity for diploid organisms and causes an increase in the inbreeding coefficient. Drift increases the amount of genetic differentiation among populations if no gene flow occurs among them. Genetic drift also has two significant longer-term evolutionary consequences.

Genetic drift can result in the loss of rare alleles, and can decrease the size of the gene pool. Genetic drift can also cause a new population to be genetically distinct from its original population, which has led to the hypothesis that genetic drift plays a role in the evolution of new species.

Unlike natural selection, genetic drift does not depend on an allele’s beneficial or harmful effects. Instead, drift changes allele frequencies purely by chance, as random subsets of individuals (and the gametes of those individuals) are sampled to produce the next generation.

The key distinction is that in genetic drift allele frequencies change by chance, whereas in natural selection allele frequencies change by differential reproductive success. Natural selection is the process by which the most adaptive traits for an environment become more common generation after generation.

Genetic drift leads to changes in allele frequencies that are random. Natural selection also causes changes in allele frequencies but it’s not random. 4. Genetic drift occurs in the absence of selective pressures.

Genetic drift, also called genetic sampling error or Sewall Wright effect, a change in the gene pool of a small population that takes place strictly by chance.

Genetic drift is more important in small populations because the chances of an allele being lost or fixed in the population are much higher, this is because each individual in a small population represents a larger proportion of the entire population (than in a large population).

Genetic variation is an important force in evolution as it allows natural selection to increase or decrease frequency of alleles already in the population. Genetic variation is advantageous to a population because it enables some individuals to adapt to the environment while maintaining the survival of the population.

Genetic diversity is important because it helps maintain the health of a population, by including alleles that may be valuable in resisting diseases, pests and other stresses. If the environment changes, a population that has a higher variability of alleles will be better able to evolve to adapt to the new environment.