9.3 genetic diversity and adaptation

Question 1

what is genetic diversity?

Answer 1

number of different alleles of genes in a population

Question 2

what does genetic diversity enable?

Answer 2

natural selection to occur

Question 3

natural selection

Answer 3

• in every population there is variation
• Variation due to mutation;
• mutations may be advantageous or harmful
• selected organisms with advantageous allele survive and reproduce
• Leads to increase in allele frequency of that advantageous allele