LIFE SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Small populations tend to lose genetic diversity more quickly than large populations due to stochastic sampling error (i.e., genetic drift). This is because some versions of a gene can be lost due to random chance, and this is more likely to occur when populations are small.

Detailed explanation-2: -Small populations are more likely to experience genetic drift because allele frequencies are more likely to vary swiftly and substantially over a few generations or drift due to random events. Small populations might experience rapid change since each individual is different.

Detailed explanation-3: -Drift is more pronounced in such populations, because smaller populations have less variation and, therefore, a lower ability to respond favorably-that is, adapt-to changing conditions.

Detailed explanation-4: -Small populations cannot adapt to fitness peaks with a high likelihood of small-effect deleterious mutations. If small populations climb these peaks, genetic drift will cause them to lose previously-fixed beneficial mutations, leading to a decrease in fitness.