SELECTION

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on Drift and Selection, focusing on important definitions and principles related to evolution and genetics.

Hardy-Weinberg Theorem

A principle that asserts allele frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences.

Fitness

The success of an organism at surviving and reproducing, thus contributing offspring to future generations.

Allele frequencies

The relative frequency of an allele at a genetic locus in a population, typically expressed as a fraction or percentage.

Natural Selection

The process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population due to differential survival and reproduction of individuals with those traits.

Genotype frequency

The proportion of a particular genotype within a population.

Phenotype

The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences.

Selection on Phenotype

The process where certain phenotypes have higher reproductive success, influencing allele frequencies in future generations.

Inbreeding Depression

A reduction in biological fitness due to mating of individuals who are related genetically.

Negative Frequency Dependent Selection

A form of selection where the fitness of a phenotype decreases as it becomes more common.

Balancing selection

A natural selection process that maintains genetic diversity by favoring heterozygotes or rare alleles.

Evolution

The change in allele frequencies in a population over time.