Final answer:
Genetic drift is a random process affecting allele frequencies more significantly in small populations compared to large ones. It can lead to rapid changes in small populations, such as on islands, whereas it has a reduced impact in larger populations like those found on the mainland.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that genetic drift occurs at a faster rate in a large population than in a small population is false. Genetic drift is a mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in allele frequencies that happen by chance in a population, especially in small populations. Small populations are more vulnerable to genetic drift because each individual represents a larger fraction of the total gene pool; thus, random events have a greater influence on the overall genetic makeup of the population.
For example, if one individual in a population of 10 does not reproduce or dies before leaving offspring, 10% of the gene pool is affected. In contrast, one individual in a population of 100 has only a 1% impact. As such, genetic drift can lead to significant changes in small populations over a few generations such as the loss of genetic diversity or alleles, potentially leading to different evolutionary outcomes than in larger populations where genetic drift has a more muted effect due to the larger number of breeding individuals.
Therefore, genetic drift would typically lead to faster changes in allele frequencies on an island (representing a smaller population) compared to the mainland (larger population), where it would occur more slowly.