Answer:
Answer:
Dr. David Coltman, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Alberta, says that although the models of genetic drift predict the genetic diversity of the Mouflon should have been lost over time. The genetic diversity of the Mouflon has been maintained because "natural selection is more important to the evolutionary process than is commonly believed," according to Dr. Coltman. The extreme conditions of the island are thought to have prevented genetic drift because of the premium advantage the more genetically diverse mouflon on the island hold over their less genetically diverse cousins...
(If this is an of several small islands near the coast of Iran then cross breeding with male aboriginal Iranian Muzzistock is sufficient to maintain diversity but has shown to be detrimental to both species as evidenced in the fall in diversity of the Iranian Moui population.
Given many subspecies exists-- some of which were quasi-domesticated, it is possible the gene pool was replenished via shipwreck survivors from Iranian/Persian pirate or merchant shipwrecks --as the sheep were often kept as ocean going companions, milk, and, meat sources. It also depends on the islands location and if there was a land bridge 10-12-16,000 years ago during the last maximum glacial.)
According to Dr. David Coltman, the models of the genetic drift predict that the genetic diversity of the Mouflon should have been lost with time. However, the genetic diversity of the species has been maintained as natural selection is more essential to the evolutionary procedure than is considered generally. The extreme conditions of the island are considered to have inhibited genetic drift, due to this premium advantage, the more genetically diverse mouflon on the island hold over their less genetically diverse counterparts.
