Which of the evolutionary forces is most likely to decrease variation between populations?Group of answer choicesgene flowfounder effectrandom mutationnatural selection

The evolutionary force most likely to decrease variation between populations is gene flow.

Here's why:

1. Gene flow: This refers to the transfer of genetic variation from one population to another. If genes are moved between populations, those populations become more similar to each other. Therefore, gene flow decreases variation between populations.

2. Founder effect: This is a type of genetic drift where a new population is established by a very small number of individuals. This can increase variation between the original population and the new one, as the new population may have different allele frequencies due to chance.

3. Random mutation: This introduces new genetic variation into a population, and therefore increases variation within a population. However, it doesn't necessarily decrease variation between populations.

4. Natural selection: This can either increase or decrease variation within a population, depending on the selection pressures. However, it doesn't necessarily decrease variation between populations.

So, out of these four options, gene flow is the most likely to decrease variation between populations.