mod 8: Populations, Individuals, and Gene Pools Flashcards
population
organisms of a particular species in a particular place at a particular time
what are the three ways the gene pool can be described?
- by genotype frequencies
- by phenotype frequencies
- by allele frequencies
how is frequency calculated?
(subgroup numbers)/(total group numbers), represented by f
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE)
a situation where allele frequencies stay the same generation after generation
what are the conditions necessary to maintain Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE)?
- the population must be closed–there can be no gene flow, no migration
- the population must be large enough that chance events will not alter allele frequencies
- there must be random mating–no picking favourite genotypes or phenotypes as mates
- no net mutations–the mutation rate from b to B must equal that of from B to b
- no natural selection–environment must not favourite survival of one phenotype over the other
gene flow
movement of alleles into or out of populations by immigration or emigration
microevolution
a change in the frequency of alleles in the gene pool that results in the characteristics of the population. does NOT result in new species
how is HWE used?
it is used to test if a population is genetically changing or not. if any one of the five conditions are not present then the population is undergoing microevolution
Hard-Weinberg equations
p + q = 1, where p and q are two different alleles
p^2 + 2pq + q^2 = 1.00
where: p^2 is frequency of homozygous dominant genotype, 2pq is frequency of heterozygous genotype, and q^2 is frequency of homozygous recessive genotype
genetic drift
change in allele frequencies, caused by chance events in a small gene pool, such as inbreeding caused by isolation of a small non-representative group or a few non-breeding individuals (bachelors).
founder effect and bottleneck effect are examples of genetic drift
founder effect
type of genetic drift. occurs when small population that is not representative migrates away, resulting in different allele frequencies in the two groups
bottleneck effect
type of genetic drift. occurs when a natural disaster occurs and thins the population to a small group that happens to be unrepresentative of the original group, resulting in different allele frequencies in the two groups
fecundity
fertility, the ability of an organism to be fertile or reproduce
wildlife corridor
a route used by wildlife to move from one territory to the other. people are building artificial ones–grassy bridges that stretch over highways
parasite
the organism in a symbiotic relationship that benefits by living on or in a host as a source of food or means of reproduction. the host is harmed by this
host
the organism in a symbiotic relationship that provides food or a means to complete reproduction for a parasitic organism of another type of species
symbiotic relationship
any close relationship in which individuals of different species live together in a feeding or protective relationship
mutualism
type of symbiosis where both organisms involved benefit and rely on the relationship to survive
commensalism
type of symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is not affected in any way
protective colouration
body colour as a natural defence mechanism. bright colours (such as black, red, or yellow) that give a warning signal to consumers
Batesian mimicry
when an animal that is not poisonous/venomous relies on looking similar to animals that are, in order to discourage predators
Müllerian mimicry
when two or more animals that are dangerous (unpalatable to predators in some way) use similar colouring to establish a lack of desire in the predator to eat any prey that shares that appearance–since they look similar, predators end up avoiding both species and are discouraged from eating any of them, ensuring the survival of both
intraspecific competition
competition for limited recourses among members of the same species
interspecific competition
competition between two or more populations for limited resources (such as nutrients, light, living space, etc.). it is because of this type of competition that different species cannot occupy the exact same niche
parasitism
a symbiotic relationship where one partner (the parasite) benefits at the expense of its host
parasitoids
organisms that lay their eggs in the larvae of other insects, killing the larvae
competitive exclusion
when one of two populations competing for the same resource is driven to extinction by the other, due to not being as well-adapted
resource partitioning
when species that live close together partition their resources so their niches are slightly different. this decreases competition