Genetic Diversity and Adaptation

Question 1

What is genetic diversity?

Answer 1

the total number of different alleles in a population

Question 2

What advantage does high genetic diversity provide?

Answer 2

the stability to adapt to a change in the environment, allows natural selection to occur

Question 3

Explain how natural selection results in the development of new characteristics

Answer 3

• mutations -> new alleles
• some alleles provide a selective advantage, meaning they are more likely to survive and reproduce
• the offspring receive the allele and pass it to next generation, allele frequency increases

Question 4

What is directional selection?

Answer 4

Individuals with phenotypes suited to the environment will survive and pass on alleles, the mean of population will shift towards these phenotypes

Question 5

When does directional selection occur?

Answer 5

when there is a change to the environment

Question 6

Give an example of directional selection

Answer 6

Antibiotic resistance.

Question 7

What is stabilising selection?

Answer 7

Individuals closest to the mean are favoured, any with new characteristics are selected against. Low genetic diversity

Question 8

When does stabilising selection occur?

Answer 8

when the environment remains the same

Question 9

Give an example of stabilising selection?

Answer 9

birth weight

Question 10

What are 3 types of adaptation?

Answer 10

behavioural (actions) , physiological (body processes) and anatomical (body structure)

Question 11

What is an allele?

Answer 11

different form of the same gene, found at the same locus