Week 4 Flashcards
What are the 2 sources of genetic variation?
Mutations & recombination
species
individuals that can exchange genetic material through interbreeding
gene pool
all the alleles present in all individuals in the species
populations
interbreeding groups of organisms of the same species living in the same geographical area
what are the types of mutations discussed?
- Somatic
- Germ-line
- Neutral
- Deleterious
- Advantageous
Somatic mutation
occurring in the body’s tissues
germ-line mutation
occurring in the reproductive cells and therefore passed on to the next generation
deleterious mutation
harmful effect on the organism, usually in the protein-coding regions, not always eliminated from the gene pool of a species
advantageous mutation
improve the carriers’ changes of survival or reproduction, result in better adaptation
recombination
segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis
allele frequencies
the rates of occurrence of alleles in populations
what does it mean for allele frequencies to be fixed?
a population only exhibits one allele at a particular gene
they are fixed for that allele
measure genetic variation using genetics instead of observable traits
many traits are encoded by a large number of genes
the phenotype is a product of both the genotype and the environment
gel electrophoresis helped identify different proteins, and therefore genetic variation
3 ways to measure allele frequencies in populations
- observable traits
- gel electrophoresis
- dna sequencing
Understanding of populations/organisms/species prior to theory of natural selection
adaptations, the exquisite fit of organisms to their environment, were evidence of a God
Species were born into the world already well-adapted by God
Who is Thomas Malthus? What did he write about?
Wrote “Essay on the Principle of Population (1798)
Said natural populations have the ability to increase in size geometrically; populations get larger at an ever-increasing rate.
What did Darwin conclude?
Species are not unchanging; they have evolved over time.
Theory of Natural selection
Natural selection
results in allele frequencies changing from generation to generation according to the allele’s impact on the survival and reproduction of individuals
Rules of Natural selection
- All populations have the ability to grow exponentially
- Limited resources prevent populations from growing exponentially
- Variation exists within a population
- This variation must be heritable
Give an example of heterozygote advantage
Sickle Cell Anemia
AA = Normal blood cells; vulnerable to malaria SA = Some sickled cells, not vulnerable to malaria SS = all sickle cells, not, not vulnerable to malaria
fitness
a measure of the extent to which the individual’s genotype is represented in the next generation
direct fitness
only the genes that you pass to your offspring
indirect fitness
only the genes that you share with your non-offspring relatives
inclusive fitness
all the genes you pass to your offspring and those you share with your non-offspring relatives