genetic diversity Flashcards
what is a gene
a section of DNA that codes for a polypeptide or functional RNA
what is an allele
different forms of a gene at the same locus
what is a gene pool
all the alleles in a population
what is genetic diversity
total number of different alleles in a population
what is allele frequency
how often a particular allele occurs within a population
why is it important to maintain genetic diversity
the greater the genetic diversity the more likely that some individuals within the population will survive an environmental change
why is it ethically wrong to reduce biodiversity
prevent extinction/ loss of populations/ reduction in populations/ loss of habitats
idea of saving organisms for future generations
what are the commercial implications of reducing biodiversity
medical/ pharmaceutical uses
commercial products- tourism, agriculture
what is selective breeding
individuals with desired characteristics are selected for breeding
reduces genetic diversity
how has selective breeding affected wheat and why
decreased the size of wheat
what is the founder affect
- small starting population leading to inbreeding
- possibility of a rare allele becoming more common and new mutations may occur
what is a genetic bottleneck
- occurs when some disaster or disease reduces a once large population to a small one very quickly
- only the alleles in the survivors are found in the surviving population
