Genetic Diversity Flashcards
What is genetic diversity?
It’s the variety of different alleles within a population
Why is genetic diversity important?
Species that contain greater genetic diversity are more likely to adapt to changes in their environment so are less likely to become extinct.
What are the 2 factors in which the number for possible alleles can be increased?
-Interbreeding between different populations
-Mutations
How can interbreeding between different populations increase the number of alleles?
As the alleles are transferred between two populations
What is gene flow?
Alleles are transferred between two populations
How can mutations increase the number of alleles?
As they can change the organisms DNA
What are the 2 factors in which the number for possible alleles can be decreased?
-Selective Breeding
-Natural Selection
-Genetic Bottleneck
-The Founder Effect
How can natural selection decrease the number of alleles?
Species will evolve to have mainly alleles for advantageous characteristics.
-Less advantageous alleles are lost from population
How can genetic bottleneck decrease the number of alleles?
Where a few individuals survive an event or change which reduces gene pool
How can The Founder Effect decrease the number of alleles?
Where a small number of individuals create a new colony geographically isolated from original
How can we measure genetic diversity?
By measuring polymorphism
What do polymorphic genes have?
More than one allele
What are most genes?
Monomorphic
What are monomorphic genes?
Single allele exists for the gene
What equation can we use to measure the proportion of genes which are polymorphic?
Proportion of polymorphic gene loci=
number of polymorphic gene loci ÷ total number of loci
