founder effect

noun

: the effect on the resulting gene pool that occurs when a new isolated population is founded by a small number of individuals possessing limited genetic variation relative to the larger population from which they have migrated

Examples of founder effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In isolated populations like Sardinia’s, where inbreeding was common, such rare variants can become more frequent, a phenomenon called the founder effect. science.org, 21 Nov. 2024 The common mutation implied that all the Laron patients were probably descended from a single individual, a phenomenon known in genetics as a founder effect. Gary Taubes, Discover Magazine, 26 Mar. 2013 Most notable of these assumptions is that the serial founder effect model is the only explanation available. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2011 The Kuusamo cluster could for example just be due to a founder effect from its recent settlement. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 23 Sep. 2010 That could be a founder effect, in which the initial group included fewer fertile males than females. Ann Gibbons, Science | AAAS, 16 June 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of founder effect was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near founder effect

Cite this Entry

“Founder effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/founder%20effect. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

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