Ch21 : microevolution: genetic change within populations Flashcards
microevolution
small-scale genetic changes within populations, often in response to shifting environmental circumstances or chance events
population
a group of organisms of the same kind that live together in the same place
phenotypic variation
differences in appearance/ function between individual organisms
quantitative variation
variation that is measure on a continuum rather than categories . Data vary continuously over an range of measurements. Data exists in discrete(5) or continuous form (0.5)
qualitative variation
variation that exists in 2 or more discrete states, with intermediate forms often being absent. Data varies discontinuously
polymorphism
the existence of discrete variants of a character among individuals in a population
gene pool
the sum of all alleles at all gene loci in all individuals in a population
genotype frequency
the percentage of individuals in a population possessing a particular genotype
allele frequency
the abundance of one allele relative to others at the same gene locus in individuals of a population
null model
a conceptual model that predicts what one would see if a particular factor had no effect
Hardy weinberg principle
an evolutionary rule of thumb that specifies the conditions under which a population of diploid organisms achieves genetic equilibrium
genetic equilibrium
the point at which neither the allele frequencies not the genotype frequencies in a population change in succeeding generations
mutation
a spontaneous and heritable change in DNA
gene flow
the transfer of genes from one population to another through the movement of individuals or their gametes
genetic drift
random fluctuations in allele frequencies as a result of chance events; usually reducing genetic variation in a population
founder effect
an evolutionary phenomenon in which a population that was established by just a few colonizing individuals has only a fraction of genetic diversity seen in the population from which it is derived
natural selection
the evolutionary process by which alleles that increase the likelihood of survival and the reproductive output of the individuals that carry them become more common in subsequent generations
relative fitness
the number of surviving offspring that an individual produces compared with the number left by others in the population
directional selection
a type of natural selection in which individuals near one end of the phenotypic spectrum have the highest relative fitness
stabilizing selection
a type of natural selection in which individuals expressing intermediate phenotypes have the highest relative fitness
disruptive selection
a type of natural selection which extreme phenotypes have higher relative fitness than intermediate phenotypes