chapter 21 ~ microevolution Flashcards
A group of organisms of the same kind that live together in the same place.
Population
Differences in appearance or function between individual organisms.
Phenotypic variation
Variation that is measured on a continuum (such as height in human beings) rather than in discrete units or categories.
Quantitative variation
Variation that exists in two or more discrete states, with intermediate forms often being absent.
Qualitative variation
The existence of discrete variants of a character among individuals in a population.
Polymorphism
The sum of all alleles at all gene loci in all individuals in a population.
Gene pool
The percentage of individuals in a population possessing a particular genotype.
Genotype frequencies
The abundance of one allele relative to others at the same gene locus in Individuals of a population.
Allele frequencies
A conceptual model that predicts what one would see if a particular factor had no effect.
Null models
An evolutionary rule of thumb that specifies the conditions under which a population of diploid organisms achieves genetic equilibrium.
Hardy-Weinberg principle
The point at which neither the allele frequencies nor the genotype frequencies in a population change in succeeding generations.
Genetic equilibrium
A spontaneous and heritable change in DNA.
Mutation
Random fluctuations in allele frequencies as a result of chance events; usually reduces genetic variation in a population.
Genetic drift
An evolutionary phenomenon in which a population that was established by just a few colonizing individuals has only a fraction of the genetic diversity seen in the population from which it was derived.
Founder effect
The number of surviving offspring that an individual produces compared with the number left by others in the population.
Relative fitness
