increase in the frequency of beneficial alleles and decrease in deleterious alleles due to selection
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allele frequency (gene frequency)
rate at which a specific allele appears within a population
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bottleneck effect
magnification of genetic drift as a result of natural events or catastrophes
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directional selection
selection that favors phenotypes at one end of the spectrum of existing variation
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diversifying selection
selection that favors two or more distinct phenotypes
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evolutionary fitness
individual’s ability to survive and reproduce
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founder effect
event that initiates an allele frequency change in part of the population, which is not typical of the original population
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frequency-dependent selection
selection that favors phenotypes that are either common (positive\`) or rare (negative)
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gene flow
flow of alleles in and out of a population due to the individual or gamete migration
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gene pool
all the alleles that the individual in the population carry
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genetic drift
effect of chance on a population’s gene pool genetic structure distribution of the different possible genotypes in a populationge
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genetic variance
diversity of alleles and genotypes in a population
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good genes hypothesis
theory of sexual selection that argues individuals develop impressive ornaments to show off their efficient metabolism or ability to fight disease ha
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handicap principle
theory of sexual selection that argues only the fittest individuals can afford costly traits
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heritability
fraction of population variation that can be attributed to its genetic variance
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honest signal
trait that gives a truthful impression of an individual’s fitness
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macroevolution
broader scale evolutionary changes that scientists see over paleontological time
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microevolution
changes in a population’s genetic structure
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modern synthesis
overarching evolutionary paradigm that took shape by the 1940s and scientists generally accept today
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population genetics
study of how selective forces change the allele frequencies in a population over time
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population variation
distribution of phenotypes in a population
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relative fitness
individual’s ability to survive and reproduce to the rest of the population
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selective pressure
environmental factor that causes one phenotype to be better than another
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sexual dimorphism
phenotypic difference between a population’s males and females
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stabilizing selection
selection that favors average phenotypes
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Causes of Evolution
Natural Selection
Genetic Drift
Migration
Mutation
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4 postulates of natural selection
1. Variation exists among individual organisms in a population. 2. Some of that variation is heritable. 3. Survival and reproductive success is variable 4. Individuals best able to survive and reproduce is not random
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Gregor Mendel
the father of genetics
* each parent passes a combination of discrete "‘factors” (alleles of genes) * Each gamete carries only one factor * factors segregate independently during gamete formation * dominant and recessive factors
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Selection pressure
environmental factor that causes one phenotype to be better than another; can be abiotic (not alive) or biotic (alive)
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Hopi Hoekstra
Professor and curator at Harvard University
Specializes in the genetic basis of adaptation
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fundamental asymmetry of sex
Females generally invest more resources into their offspring. Female fitness is limited by these resources. Male fitness is limited by access to mates. Predicts that females should be choosy, and males should compete with each other for mates.