Population Genetics Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards for Population Genetics lecture.

Molecular evolution

The study of how and why macromolecules (nucleic acids and proteins) change through time

Molecular phylogenetics

The use of comparative genomics to infer evolutionary relationships among species

Gene tree

An inferred phylogeny of a set of DNA sequences

Species tree

An estimated evolutionary history of a set of species

Synonymous substitutions

Do not alter amino acid sequence of encoded protein and therefore have little impact on phenotype. Rates of substitution are high.

Nonsynonymous substitutions

Alter amino acid sequence of encoded protein and thus may alter phenotype. Rates of substitution are lower.

Population Genetics

Application of genetic principles to entire populations of a species

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same geographical area

Subpopulation

Any of the breeding groups within a population among which migration is restricted

Local population

Subpopulation within which most individuals breed

Gene pool

The complete set of genetic information in all individuals within a population

Genotype frequency

The proportion of individuals in a population with a specific genotype

Allele frequency

The proportion of any specific allele in a population

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

In an ideal population, allele frequencies do not change with time. Given allele frequencies p and q, the frequencies of the genotypes A1A1, A1A2, and A2A2 will be p2, 2pq, and q2

Migration

The movement of organisms among subpopulations

Natural selection

The process of evolutionary adaptation: genotypes best suited to survive and reproduce in a particular environment give rise to a disproportionate share of the offspring

Random genetic drift

The random, undirected changes in allele frequencies, especially in small populations

Relative fitness

The relative ability of genotypes to survive and reproduce. Measures the comparative contribution of each parental genotype to the pool of offspring genotypes in each generation.