Chapter 7 Flashcards
What are three criticisms of Mendel’s conclusions?
- seemed to be opposed to most biological observations
- unclear as to whether his observations were consistent with Darwin’s theory
- trait frequencies as observed in nature were not consistent with frequencies expected under Mendelian inheritance
Why won’t alleles disappear?
Heterozygotes can “hide” the recessiveness
What did GH Hardy do? (4)
- developed model to predict the population level consequences of Mendelian inheritance
- Showed Punnett was correct
- demonstrated that dominant alleles would not replace recessive alleles over time
- The frequency of an allele neither decreases or increases simply because its recessive or dominant
Population genetics
=> provides math description & modilizes evolution process
-Investigates how the genotype frequencies in an offspring population are related to the genotype frequencies in a parental population.
Individual versus Population level thinking
Individual thinking: what gametes and offspring are produced, in what frequencies, from a given pair of parents?
Population thinking: how do the characteristics of the population change over time as the result of evolutionary processes?
Qualitative prediction
If a trait is beneficial we would expect to see its frequency in the population increase
Quantitative prediction
Numerical predictions about evolutionary dynamics
Stasis
When genotype frequencies (AA/Aa/aa) or allele frequencies (A or a) stay the same
Steady state frequencies
equilibria of our models
When is a system in equilibrium?
When the system has reached a state where it does not change in the absence of outside forces or processes acting on it
Stable equilibrium conditions (2)
- at this point the system DOES NOT CHANGE
- If perturbed by small amount the system will return to this point
*upside down cup with ball on the bottom
Unstable equilibrium conditions (2)
At this point the system DOES NOT change
If perturbed or displaced by some small amount, the
system will move further away from its initial position at rest.
Neutral equilibrium conditions (2)
At this point, system does not change
If perturbed by small amount the system will stay in its displaced position, rather than returning to the original position as it would in a stable equilibrium, or moving further away as it would in an unstable equilibrium.
Mixed equilibrium conditions (2)
At this point the system does not change
If perturbed to the left or the right, the system will return to its starting point. If perturbed forward or backward, the system will stay in the new displaced position
What does the Hardy Weinberg model serve as & what does it tell us about genotype frequencies?
A null hypothesis for population genetics [opposite]
Tells us what happens to genotype frequencies when natural selection and other important drivers of evolutionary change are NOT happening
What are the three conclusions if there is an absence of evolutionary processes acting on alleles?
- Frequencies of A1 and A2 do not change over time
- With allele frequencies and random mating it is possible to predict the equilibrium genotype frequencies
- All alleles no matter their initial frequencies will reach Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in a single generation
First and Second Hardy Weinberg assumptions?
- Natural selection is not operating on the trait or traits affected by the locus in question => no natural selection
- Individuals have no preference for others with similar (or dissimilar) genotypes => random mating
Third, fourth, and fifth HW assumptions:
- No mutation is occurring
- There is no migration into or out of the population => no new alleles
- Population is infinite in size => no genetic drift
What are the 3 possible genotypes of A1 and A2? Sum of genotype frequencies?
A1A1, A1A2, A2,A2 = 1
What equilibrium does p2, 2pq, and q2 represent, given allele frequencies p and q?
Stable equilibrium