An earthquake decimates a ground-squirrel population. The surviving population happens to have broader stripes on average than the initial population. If broadness of stripes is genetically determined, what effect has the ground-squirrel population experienced during the earthquake?
A. directional selection
B. disruptive selection
C. a founder event
D. a genetic bottleneck
A genetic bottleneck also known as a population bottleneck is one that describes a sharp reduction in the size of a population caused by environmental events like in the above or caused by human activities.
