6.5. Forum 3: Evolutionary Forces

This week’s discussion topic deals with the four forces of evolution discussed in Chap. 4. In this forum, you will answer one of the following questions, depending on your last name. Remember to respond to 2 posts as well, in order to get full credit. You can respond to student posts for any of the questions, not just the one you answered.

Discussion Question : The TV series, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” takes place in the fictional Republic of Gilead (formerly the USA). Here, widespread infertility causes reproduction to be limited to a small group of women, who are forced to bear children for a select group of powerful men. What types of genetic changes might potentially result from this restricted gene pool? Which evolutionary force would be primarily responsible for the changes in gene frequencies? Do you think genetic diversity would increase or decrease, and would the effects be beneficial or negative for that society over the long term?