Genetic Variation Flashcards
What is genetic diversity?
Genetic differences between in terms of alleles in individuals within a population
What is allele frequency?
How often a particular allele occurs within a population
What is gene flow?
When alleles move between a population
How does Gene flow come about?
Gene pools (genetic information in a population) can change when indivudals leave a population or when individuals from a different population join a population.
What is the effect of Gene flow on genetic diversity?
Can increase genetic diversity in a population
Describe contribution of individuals towards genetic diversity in different populations
- In small populations, each indivudal makes a large contribution towards total genetic diversity
- In large populations, each individual makes a small contribution towards total genetic diversity
What is genetic drift?
Change in allele frequency due to chance
In what type of populations does genetic drift more commonly occur?
Small populations with little/no gene flow
How does Genetic Drift occur?
- In small population, and event of chance may cause loss of certain allele
- This results in loss of genetic diversity over time as alleles are lost from gene pool
What are two ways a population size can be reduced?
- Founder Effect
- Bottleneck Effect
What is a gene pool?
The sum of all the alleles present in a particular population
