Chapter 16: How Populations Evolve

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to population evolution, including definitions and explanations.

Population

A group of organisms of a single species living together in the same geographic area.

Microevolution

Evolutionary change within populations, often involving small changes in allele frequencies over generations.

Allele frequency

The percentage of each allele in a population's gene pool.

Gene pool

The alleles of all genes in all individuals in a population.

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE)

A stable, nonevolving state in a population where allele frequencies remain constant over time.

Genetic drift

Changes in allele frequency of a gene pool due to chance events, having a more significant impact in smaller populations.

Bottleneck effect

A significant reduction in population size that results in a loss of genetic diversity.

Founder effect

Loss of genetic variation due to a small number of individuals founding a new population.

Gene flow

The movement of alleles between populations, often through migration.

Nonrandom mating

When individuals in a population do not mate randomly, affecting how alleles assort into genotypes.