In genetic diversity statistics used in nonhuman literature, what does a value of 0 indicate?

• A. Populations are the same
• B. Populations are different
• C. No genetic variation
• D. Completely distinct species

Answer: (B)

A value of zero in these genetic diversity statistics signals no detectable differentiation between populations. In measures like FST or genetic distance, zero means the allele frequencies are effectively identical across the populations for the loci examined, so there’s no genetic structure distinguishing them. This doesn’t mean there is no genetic variation within a population; it means the variation observed is not partitioned into between-population differences. Higher values indicate increasing differentiation, with larger numbers showing populations becoming more genetically distinct. So, zero best reflects that the populations are the same in the scope of the measured markers.