Effect, founder: A population group with an unusual frequency of a gene due to there having been only a small number of original members ("founders") one or more of whom had that gene. For example, the gene for Huntington disease was introduced into the Lake Maracaibo region of Venezuela early in the 19th century, so there are now over a hundred persons with Huntington disease and at least 900 persons at risk for that deadly disease in that region, the largest known aggregation known in the world with the Huntington gene.
The founder effect is a particular example of the influence of random sampling. It was defined by Ernst Mayr as: "The establishment of a new population by a few original ...
Reduced genetic variation means that the population may not be able to adapt to new selection pressures, such as climatic change or a shift in ...
Brief and Straightforward Guide: What is the Founder Effect?
Polydactyly -- extra fingers or sometimes toes -- is one symptom of Ellis-van Creveld syndrome. The syndrome is commonly found among the Old Order Amish of Pennsylvania ...
Founder Effect. Founder Effect summary with 4 pages of encyclopedia entries, research information, and more.