Unit 4 summary 5

Question 1

Gene pool

Answer 1

Gene pool: The sum of alleles present in a population

Question 2

Species

Answer 2

Species: Organisms are of the same species if they can interbreed to produce viable, fertile offspring

Question 3

Population

Answer 3

Population: Members of one species living in one region at a particular time

Question 4

Genetic variation

Answer 4

Genetic variation: Trait in which different organisms or members of a population or species display different phenotypes

Question 5

Allele frequency

Answer 5

Allele frequency: the relative number of an allele in a population

Question 6

Evolution

Answer 6

Evolution: the process of gradual change in a population of organisms that results in new species

Question 7

Mutation

Answer 7

Mutation: change in nucleotide sequence in a gene or chromosome. ie deletion, addition, translocation, substitution

Question 8

Gene flow

Answer 8

Gene flow: migration of individuals, and their genes, between populations

Question 9

Immigration

Answer 9

Immigration: entering the population

Question 10

Emmigration

Answer 10

Emigration: leaving (exiting) the population

Question 11

Genetic drift

Answer 11

Genetic drift: changes in allele frequencies due to random chance events

Question 12

Founder effect

Answer 12

Founder effect: The establishment of a new population by a few original founders which carry only a small fraction of the total genetic variation of the parental population

Question 13

Population bottleneck

Answer 13

Population bottleneck: population is reduced due to disaster, as such the small population is not representative of the original population

Question 14

Environmental selection pressures

Answer 14

Environmental selection pressures: The extent to which organisms possessing a particular characteristic are either eliminated or favoured by environmental demands. It indicates the degree of intensity of natural selection.

Question 15

Natural selection

Answer 15

Natural selection: a natural process that occurs in ecosystems where, at a particular time, certain members of a species that are more suited to the prevailing conditions within that given area are more likely to reproduce and pass on their alleles to the next generation.

Question 16

Biological fitness

Answer 16

Biological fitness: the measure of biological success of an organism in terms of the number of viable offspring it produces.

Question 17

Selection pressure

Answer 17

Selection pressure: a factor, usually environmental, that reduces the fitness of a particular phenotype in a population of organisms.

Question 18

Adaptation

Answer 18

Adaptation: a feature of an organism that helps it to survive/ live long enough to produce viable offspring. (structural, behavioural, physiological.)

Question 19

Artificial selection

Answer 19

Artificial selection: the selection by breeders of animals or plants with desirable phenotypes (and genotypes) for selective breeding to produce individuals with specific characteristics.