Which field studies genetic variation within and between populations to gain insight into evolutionary history?

• A. Evolutionary biology
• B. Molecular genetics
• C. Population genetics
• D. Systematics

Answer: (C)

Population genetics studies how genetic variation is distributed within and between populations to infer evolutionary history. It focuses on allele frequencies and how they change under forces like genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, and natural selection, using those patterns to reconstruct events such as population splits, migrations, bottlenecks, and admixture. This field is specifically concerned with how variation across groups reveals their past, making it the best fit for describing the described aim. Evolutionary biology is broader, covering many aspects of evolution; molecular genetics centers on genes and their molecular behavior; systematics deals with relationships and taxonomy, often using morphology and genetics but not exclusively the population-level history described here.