Genes Within Populations

Flashcards summarizing key concepts from the lecture notes on genes within populations and evolutionary processes.

Evolution

Changes over time in populations, first coined by Darwin.

Natural Selection

The mechanism proposed by Darwin for evolution, where individuals with favorable traits produce more offspring.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

States that allele frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation if certain conditions are met.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

The state in which genotype frequency remains constant across generations under certain assumptions.

Genetic Drift

A change in allele frequency due to random sampling, often more pronounced in small populations.

Mutation

The ultimate source of genetic variation, occurring randomly during DNA replication.

Gene Flow

The transfer of alleles or genes between populations, often through migration.

Fitness

The ability of an individual to survive and reproduce, relative to others in the population.

Assortative Mating

A form of nonrandom mating where individuals with similar phenotypes mate with each other.

Founder Effect

A reduction in genetic diversity that occurs when a small group of individuals establishes a new population.

Pleiotropy

A condition where one gene influences multiple phenotypic traits.

Disruptive Selection

A form of natural selection that favors extreme phenotypes over average ones.

Directional Selection

Natural selection that favors one extreme phenotype over the other, shifting the frequency in one direction.

Stabilizing Selection

Natural selection that favors intermediate phenotypes and acts against extremes.

Negative Frequency-Dependent Selection

A selection process where rare phenotypes are favored over common ones.

Heterozygote Advantage

A scenario where heterozygous individuals have a higher fitness than homozygous individuals.

Environmental Conditions

Factors in the environment that can affect survival and reproduction within a population.

Genotype Frequency

The proportion of different genotypes within a population.