final exam

Question 1

What source of variation is most important to evolution?

Answer 1

genetic changes

Question 2

If selection doesn’t act on the correlation between traits of parents and offspring, then there is no evolution and the mean value of all offspring in the next generation is the same as the parent.

If selection does act, evolution results and only the individuals that are favored (depends on circumstance) will survive and become parents that leave offspring which will change the mean trait in the next generation

Question 3

Are selection and evolution different?

Answer 3

Yes
selection can happen on trait but trait is not inherited, then evolution will not happen
Also, selection is not the only way that evolution can happen (also migration, drift, etc.)

Question 4

absolute fitness

Answer 4

number of zygotes produced over lifetime
W = probability that individual survives to maturity) x (expected number of offspring if the individual does survive)

Question 5

fitness

Answer 5

average of the finesses of the individuals with that allele, genotype, or phenotype

Question 6

fitness components

Answer 6

the many events that affect fitness

Question 7

strength of selection

Answer 7

determined by fitness differences
stronger selection coefficient –> faster evolution

Question 8

delta p = p’ - p = sp(1-p)

Answer 8

how much allele frequencies change from one generation to the next aka rate of evolution. is proportional to selection coefficient and p(1-p) which represents the genetic variation at the locus because if p = 0 or 1, then there is no genetic variation because only 1 allele in the population. Variation is maximized when both alleles are equally frequent

Question 9

stronger selection coefficient –> faster evolution

Answer 9

s = how strongly favored allele