What is one possible outcome of genetic drift in small populations?

Genetic drift is a random process that occurs in populations, particularly small ones, leading to changes in allele frequencies over time due to chance events. In small populations, the effects of genetic drift can be pronounced, as random events can significantly alter allele frequencies.

One possible outcome of genetic drift is the loss of genetic variation. In a small population, alleles may be lost simply due to random chance, particularly if certain alleles become fixed (reach a frequency of 100%) while others are lost. This can result in reduced genetic diversity within the population, making it less adaptable to changing environmental conditions and more susceptible to disease or extinction. Thus, the loss of genetic variation is a direct consequence of the random nature of genetic drift, especially when the population size is small and not able to buffer against random fluctuations in allele frequencies.