Unit 4.4 - Variation and evolution Flashcards
Genetic variation
Refers to the differences between organisms of the same species
Differences between organisms of the same species
Genetic variation
What works on variation within a population?
Natural selection
2 types of phenotypic variation between people
Discontinuous variation
Continuous variation
What are discontinuous and continuous types of?
phenotypic variation
Example of discontinuous variation
Different blood groups
Discontinuous variation
Where an individual belongs to one category or another, with no intermediates
Explain why different blood groups are an example of discontinuous variation
You have one of the following blood types —> O, A, B, AB
There are no intermediate blood types
Possible blood types
O, A, B, AB
What is discontinuous variation caused by?
A single gene with a small number of alleles
What is discontinuous variation unaffected by?
The environment
How is discontinuous variation represented? Why?
Bar or pie chart
Can’t draw a line chart
What does the proportion of each blood group vary between?
Different ethnic groups
What are the 2 options for each blood group?
Rhesus positive (+ve) or rhesus negative (-ve)
How many phenotypes are there with discontinous variation?
A limited number
What are there none of for discontinuous variation?
Intermediate types
What is a phenotypic characteristic coded for in discontinuous variation?
One gene
Monogenic
When a phenotypic characteristic is coded for by one gene
When a phenotypic characteristic is coded for by on gene
Monogenic
What is discontinuous variation completely dependent on and independent on?
The environment has no effect on the gene expression
It’s completely dependent on the gene inherited
Gene expression
Phenotype
Continuous variation
There is a graduation from one extreme to the other. We can have any value on a scale between certain parameters.
Example of continuous variation
Height and mass
How many genes is continuous variation controlled by?
Many
How many genes is discontinuous variation dependent on?
One
Polygenic
Controlled by many genes
Controlled by many genes
polygenic
What is the phenotype of continuous variation determined by?
The interaction of all the genes (polygenes) and the environment
What type of phenotype is caused by the interaction of many genes?
Polygenic phenotype
What shape curve is obtained when the frequency distribution for a polygenic phenotype (continuous variation) is plotted?
Bell shaped curve
Name for the bell shaped curve obtained when a frequency distribution for a polygenic phenotype is plotted
Normal distribution curve
How do we obtain a normal distribution curve?
By plotting the frequency distribution for a polygenic phenotype
Where do the majority of people fall in a normal distribution curve?
Around the mean (mean and mode are the same here)
What is the same on a normal distribution curve?
Mean and mode
Explain how height can be influenced by the environment
Some people may inherit the potential to be tall but due to bad nutrition (an environmental factor), they may not reach it
What type of variation is influenced by the environment as well as inherited genes?
Continuous
Population
A group of organisms of the same species occupying the same community and interbreeding
A group of organisms of the same species occupying the same community and interbreeding
Population
Why is a population being in the “same community” important?
We could have members of the same species in different parts of the world but they would be able to interbreed
Species
A group of organisms with similar features which can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
A group of organisms with similar features that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
Species
What is there variation in both of?
Populations and species
What can lead to the formation of new species?
Differences in different populations of the same species can lead to the formation of new species
What is selection in the context of evolution?
The process by which organisms that are better adapted to their environment survive and breed, while those less adapted fail to do so
Meaning of fitness in the context of evolution
An expression of the likelihood of an allele being passed on the next generation
What is responsible for producing unique new combinations of alleles?
Meiosis
What does meiosis do in terms of evolution?
Produces unique new combinations of alleles
What happen when new combinations of alleles are introduced following meiosis?
It produces unique genotypes, which when expressed in physical terms as phenotypes, undergo environmental selection that determines their suitability for the environment
What happens when genotypes are expressed in physical terms as phenotypes?
They undergo environmental selection which determines their suitability for the environment
What does environmental selection determine?
The suitability of a phenotype from a genotype for an environment
What can you give some individuals in a population with variation?
An advantage in terms of survival over others in the same population
How can you give some individuals in a population an advantage in terms of survival over others in the same population?
Variation
What are better-adapted organisms for a particular environment more likely to do?
Pass on their characteristics to succeeding generations
Which organisms are more likely to pass on their characteristics to succeeding generations?
Better-adapted organisms
Selective agencies
Environmental factors that can alter the frequency of alleles in a population
Environmental factors that can alter the frequency of alleles in a population
Selective agencies
Examples of selective agencies
Supply of food
Breeding sites
Climate
Human impact
What are the following examples of?
Supply of food
Breeding sites
Climate
Human impact
Selective agencies
What happens when there’s not a sufficient supply of food or a sufficient amount of breeding sites?
Competition
The best combination of alleles will outcompete and survive in order to pass on genes
How does one species outcompete another?
Best combination of alleles will outcompete, survive and pass on genes
Explain how climate can be a selective agency
When it changes, the pressure placed on the population is different. This alters the combination of alleles that’s favourable.
What happens when the pressure placed on a population is different?
It alters the combination of alleles that’s favourable
How would a combination of alleles that are favourable be altered?
By changing the pressure placed on a population
In what type of environment would the pressure placed on the population stay the same?
Stable
When will alleles responsible for a phenotype be selected for?
If the phenotype gives a selective advantage
What happens when a phenotype gives a selective advantage?
The alleles responsible for that phenotype will be selected for
What happens when alleles responsible for a phenotype are selected for?
They’re more likely to be passed on to the next generation
Explain how giraffes evolved to have long necks
Variation in neck lengths
Change in climate = food becomes scarce
Giraffes with long necks can reach the highest leaves in trees
They outcompete the short-necked giraffes
Short neck alleles lost in population
Long neck alleles passed on to the next generation since it’s more likely to survive and pass on its alleles
What happens when a phenotype gives a selective disadvantage?
The alleles responsible for that phenotype will be selected against and are less likely to be passed on to the next generation
When are alleles responsible for a phenotype selected against?
When they give a selective disadvantage
What happens when alleles responsible for a specific phenotype are selected against?
They’re less likely to be passed on to the next generation
Explain a selective disadvantage using the crows and beetles example
Crows prefer green beetles over brown ones
-the selective pressure is against the green allele since the green beetles are selectively predated
-this means that the brown beetles have reduced intraspecific competition and are therefore more likely to survive and pass on the allele for the brown allele in the population
-Having the combination of alleles that gives the green phenotype is disadvantageous
-the frequency of the green alleles in the population will become less and less
What happens when something is selectively predated?
There’re selective pressure against them
Give a famous example of natural selection
Cryptic colouration (camouflage) of the Biston betularia (a type of moth)
Two phenotypes of the Biston betularia
Peppered
Dark
When does the peppered phenotype of the Biston betularia have good camouflage?
On lychen covered trees
When does the peppered variety of the Biston betulria stand out? What happens as a result?
When the tree isn’t covered in lychen - it’s easy for birds to predate it
Which phenotype of the Biston betularia was unknown for a long time in the population?
The darker one
When would trees not have lychen on them and why?
In areas where there’s lots of pollution since lychens are very sensitive to pollution
Describe most trees up until the Industrial Revolution? Why?
Lychen covered
Little air pollution
What happened when a mutation started the dark form of Biston betularia? Explain
It gave the moth an advantage in terms of better camouflage on trees with no lychen
In what type of areas did the population of moths with the black phenotype increase?
Polluted areas
When did the mutation for the darker phenotype of the Biston betularia moth occur? Why was this good?
It happened to occur when it conferred a selective advantage to the moth, around the time of the Industrial Revolution where pollution increased
What would have happened if the mutation for the darker version of Biston betularia happened at a different time? Why?
It probably would have died out since it wouldn’t be a selective advantage on lychen-covered trees
What happens now to the black phenotype of Biston betularia and why?
With efforts to decrease pollution in some cities, predation now selects against the black phenotype to the point where its now pretty much extinct
Predation against black moths now
Predation selects against them
Polymorphism
Many different phenotypes in the same species
Many different phenotypes in the same species
Polymorphism
What are the phenotypes caused by and not caused by with polymorphism?
There are more phenotypes than can be caused by random mutation alone - it’s caused by natural selection
When does polymorphism occur?
When natural selection favours different alleles in different environments
What causes polymorphism?
Genetic variation
Give an example of genetic variation leading to polymorphism
Genetic variation causes different colours, which give different advantages in different environments
Why does polymorphism exist?
Different advantages in different environments
Selection pressure
When limiting, this can alter the frequency of alleles in a population
When limiting, this can alter the frequency of alleles in a population
Selection pressure
What happens in terms of selection pressure when bigger organisms are favoured?
The size distribution shifts because of directional selection over generations
Gene pool
All the genes and their different alleles that are present in a population of organisms
All the genes and their different alleles that are present in a population of organisms
Gene pool
What do we need to consider the distribution of in a gene pool? Explain
The distribution of phenotypes but also genotypes
(E.g - brown beetles may or be visible but the alleles may still exist)
What is a gene pool used to describe?
The large amount of genetic variation found in a population of organisms
What is a gene pool really?
A biological concept
What does each organism in a gene pool contain?
Just one of the many possible sets of genes that can be formed from the gene pool