Lesson 14 Darwin meets Mendel Flashcards
Hardy-Weinberg Equation microevolution
Population genetics is
a modern discipline (1930s) that synthesizes Mendelian genetics and Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
Evolution is the change
in a population’s gene pool from one generation to the next.
quantitative characters
are characteristics/traits that vary along a continuum. ie. skin color in humans.
gene pool
all the collective genes of a population
Population
all the members of the same species within a given area
Hardy-Weinberg theory
shows mathematically that Mendelian genetics and Darwinian selection were not mutually exclusive. According to the theory, in a randomly mating population with no evolution or selection, the relative gene frequency will stay the same from generation to generation. Both Hardy and Weinberg independently came to the same conclusion.
non-evolving population
a hypothetical collection of individuals in a given area whose gene pool does not change from generation to generation.
Hardy-Weinberg equation is
derived from the Hardy-Weinberg theory. The equation is used to predict allelic (gene) and genotypic frequencies in a nonevolving population. p2 + 2pq+ q2 = 1
genotype
the allelic composition for a particular trait
alleles
different forms of a given gene
homozygous
having two identical alleles for a given trait
P & q
p is the frequency of the dominant allele, q is the frequency of the recessive allele
microevolution
is a change in gene frequency in a population that occurs over a relatively short period of time - no more than a few generations.
genetic drift
changes in the gene pool of a small population due to chance
mutation
a chance in a organism’s DNA that can result in a permanent change in an allele
