Which of the following phenomena is responsible for introducing new genetic variation in a population?Multiple choice question.natural selectionnon-random matingmutationrandom matinggenetic drift

The phenomenon responsible for introducing new genetic variation in a population is mutation.

Here's a step-by-step explanation:

1. Natural selection: This is a process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. It doesn't introduce new genetic variation but rather works on existing genetic variation.

2. Non-random mating: This is a mating system where the probability that two individuals in a population will mate is not the same for all possible pairs of individuals. It doesn't introduce new genetic variation but can change the frequency of existing alleles.

3. Mutation: This is a change in the DNA sequence of a gene. Mutations are the primary source of new genetic variation in a population. They introduce new alleles into a population.

4. Random mating: This is a mating system where all individuals have an equal chance of mating with each other. It doesn't introduce new genetic variation but ensures that alleles are randomly distributed among offspring.

5. Genetic drift: This is a mechanism of evolution in which allele frequencies of a population change over generations due to chance (sampling error). It doesn't introduce new genetic variation but can change the frequency of existing alleles.