genetic variation

Question 1

population

Answer 1

group of organisms of the same species which live in a particular geographical area and have the
capability of interbreeding.

Question 2

Population genetics

Answer 2

study of patterns and causes of genetic variation

Question 3

Biological variation

Answer 3

phenotypic intra-species differences have a genetic basis (DNA) and may
have influence from the environment. Not only humans experience intra-species variation.

Question 4

Genetic variation

Answer 4

catalyst for evolution. The source of variation is mutation which is a change in the DNA,
producing an altered gene (allele).

Question 5

Genome wide association studies

Answer 5

sample genetic variations across a cohort of people who have the disease and a control cohort.

Question 6

different forms of mutations

Answer 6

• sequence polymorphism
• length polymorphism
• copy number variation
• chromsome inversion

Question 7

Evolution is a 2-step process

Answer 7

Step 1: You must create variation through mutations.

Step 2: Evolutionary forces then change allele frequencies over time.

Question 8

what are the different types of evolutionary forces

Answer 8

• mutations
• gene flow
• random genetic drift
• natural selection

Question 9

mutation

Answer 9

produces variation by continually producing new alleles.

Question 10

Gene Flow

Answer 10

If one population that has one particular allele and interacts with another population, over time you will have a mixture of the two types of alleles in this population.

Question 11

random genetic drift

Answer 11

It samples variation. Allele frequencies change due to chance.
- Typically during random genetic drift, an allele can be lost or fixed by chance.

Question 12

Founder effect

Answer 12

a small group from an original population migrates and start their own founder
population increasing the allele frequency in that population which reduces genetic diversity

Question 13

Bottleneck

Answer 13

a population is wiped out whereafter a selective pressure is advantageous to only some genotypes (fitness advantage) changing allele frequencies which reduces genetic diversity.

Question 14

Natural selection

Answer 14

where some genotypes in a population leave more offspring than others.

Question 15

Hardy-Weinberg law:

Answer 15

absence of evolutionary forces results in allele frequencies remaining constant from
generation to generation.

Question 16

Assortative mating

Answer 16

form of sexual selection in which individuals with similar genotypes and/or phenotypes
mate with one another more frequently than would be expected under a random mating pattern.

Question 17

Negative assortative mating

Answer 17

you pick a mate that is different to you resulting in an excess of heterozygotes.

Question 18

Positive assortative mating

Answer 18

you pick a mate this is similar to yourself resulting in a deficiency of heterozygotes.

Question 19

Inbreeding

Answer 19

Mating of consanguineous individuals increases the frequency of homozygotes in a population and decreases heterozygote frequency

Question 20

Deleterious biological consequences

Answer 20

Consanguineous unions can increase the frequency of offspring with rare deleterious recessive conditions
- inbreeding depression

Question 21

Coefficient of inbreeding

Answer 21

probability that an individual has 2 genes at a locus that are identical by descent

Question 22

HETEROZYGOTE ADVANTAGE

Answer 22

you are likely to present more parts of a virus to your immune system than if you are homozygote for particular HLA alleles.

Question 23

polygenic model of inheritance

Answer 23

The model suggests how multiple genotypes can influence a particular phenotype

Question 24

hertiability

Answer 24

proportion of phenotypic variation attributable to genetic variation in a population.

Question 25

measuring heritability

Answer 25

The coefficient of relationships is represented by ‘r’ for two individuals in the proportion of genes that are identical by descent (recent copies

Question 26

Concordance rates

Answer 26

refers to when both members have a condition.

- It is tested within monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins.

Question 27

Continuous traits

Answer 27

show a series of overlapping phenotypic classes (eg. height and weight

Question 28

discontinous traits

Answer 28

traits show distinct phenotypes (eg. cancer and schizophrenia).

Question 29

hertiability complications?

Answer 29

• hertiability is not constant
• assortaive mating
• genotype environment interaction
• modification of histones

Question 30

USES OF HERITABILITY

Answer 30

• predicting offspring value

- response selection

Question 31

linkage vs association studies

Answer 31

• Linkage studies: seeks to identify chromosomal segments shared by affected family members. Affected sibling pairs results in large sample sizes.
• Association studies: measures preferential segregation of a particular allele with a phenotype across families (eg. case control studies) usually in smaller sample sizes

Question 32

Behaviour

Answer 32

interface of the organism with its environment and as such preceded the evolution of many anatomical and physiological features. Behaviour is part of our interactions with one another.

Question 33

Survival:

Answer 33

recognising and avoiding predators and parasites; efficient foraging (obtaining energy); cooperating
and competing with conspecifics.

Question 34

Reproduction:

Answer 34

recognising and accessing mates; appropriate levels of care of offspring, infantilism, neglect.

Question 35

sexual selection

Answer 35

Increased individual fitness through obtaining a larger number of mates or better quality mates.

Question 36

Altruistic behaviour

Answer 36

behaviour that conveys an individual fitness cost to the actor and a fitness benefit to the recipient that may improve chances of reproductive success (helping an individual for no reason with no benefit).

Question 37

Kin selection:

Answer 37

if the solution exceeds the constraint then a behaviour with an individual fitness cost can evolve.

Question 38

Individual learning

Answer 38

allows individuals to respond to the environment he or she experience.
• Experience can change or reinforce behaviour.

Question 39

Social learning

Answer 39

allows individuals to respond without the potential cost of individual learning

Question 40

Ecology

Answer 40

relationship of an organism to its environment. It is the study of factors determining the numbers and distributions of an organism.

Question 41

Human ecology

Answer 41

the inter-relationships between humans and their environment (selective pressures).
• The environment provides selective pressure in order to reproduce more efficiently than their competitors.

Question 42

Adaptation:

Answer 42

sum of ecological interactions; process of interaction between the environment and a population.

Question 43

Types of genetic adaptations

Answer 43

• species wide
• population specific
• acclimatisation
• acclimation

Question 44

1st law of thermodynamics

Answer 44

energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another.

Question 45

2nd law of thermodynamics

Answer 45

energy conversions result in loss of free energy in the system (increased entropy

Question 46

Leibig’s law of the minimum

Answer 46

distribution of a species is controlled by that environmental factor for which
the organism has the lowest range of adaptability or control

Question 47

Law of tolerance

Answer 47

distribution determines by upper and lower bounds of physical tolerance.

Question 48

human disease how it effects populations

Answer 48

Disease: old adaptation in new environment.
• Natural selection does not set out to enhance health but maximises our number of offspring.
• Natural selection has much less power in later life than in early life (low reproductive value).