"Founder population" refers to a small group of individuals that start a new community or settlement. They are usually the original inhabitants or the first group of people in a specific area. Full definition
The results confirm that the breed has lost considerable genetic diversity through such things as small founder population and artificial genetic bottlenecks resulting from highly focused selection for specific desired physical traits. (cgejournal.biomedcentral.com)
These unaffected areas provided the Native American founder population with moist, mild temperatures as well as adequate amounts of shrubs, trees and animals. (scientificamerican.com)
«It is possible that Svalbard may have provided one such important refuge during warming periods, in which small polar bear populations survived and from which founder populations expanded during cooler periods,» argues biologist Charlotte Lundqvist of the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, who is a co-author of the new study. (scientificamerican.com)