16.1 Flashcards
What are population genetics?
The study of evolution from a genetic point of view.
What is the smallest unit in which evolution occurs?
a population
What is a phenotype?
An individuals observable trait such as eye colour, hair colour, etc.
What is genotype?
An individuals collection of genes.
What is an allele?
A varient form of a gene, i.e. for height, the alleles are short and tall
What are the three main ways that variation in genotypes arise in? Explain each briefly.
- Mutation- results from flawed copies of individual genes
- Recombination of genes- the reassociation of genes in an individual who has two sets of genes, one from teh mom and one from the dad
- Random fusion of gametes- the game of chance played bu individual reproductive cells. Out of the hundreds of millions sperm involved in mating, the one that actually fertilizes the egg is largely a matter of chance.
What is a gene pool?
the set of all genes, or genetic information, in any population, ususally of a particular species
What is allele frequency?
the fraction, or frequency, of all chromosomes in the population that carry a specific allele
What is the Hardy-Weinberg Genetic Equilibrium based on?
a set of assumptions about an ideal hypothetical population that is not evolving
What are the five parts of the Hardy-Weinberg Genetic Equilibrium?
- No net mutations occur. Allese frequencies do not change overall becasue of mutations.
- Individuals neither enter nor leave the population.
- The population is large.
- Individuals mate randomly.
- Selection does not occur.