Population Genetics and Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

These flashcards cover key concepts in population genetics, mutations, and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.

Population Genetics

The study of genetic variation within populations and how allele frequencies change over time.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE)

A model that describes the genetic variation in a population that is not evolving; it assumes random mating, no mutations, large population size, no gene flow, and no selection.

Mutation

Any permanent change in an organism's DNA, which can produce new alleles.

Point Mutation

A mutation that involves a change in a single nucleotide base in the DNA sequence.

Missense Mutation

A point mutation that results in the change of an amino acid in a protein.

Nonsense Mutation

A point mutation that introduces a premature stop codon, leading to truncated protein.

Silent Mutation

A point mutation that does not change the amino acid sequence due to redundancy in the genetic code.

Frameshift Mutation

A mutation caused by insertion or deletion of nucleotides that shifts the reading frame, altering all downstream codons.

Genetic Drift

A mechanism of evolution that refers to random changes in allele frequencies due to the finite size of a population.

Natural Selection

The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Gene Flow

The transfer of alleles or genes from one population to another.

Allele Frequency

The proportion of a specific allele among all alleles for a particular gene in a population.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

A mathematical model that describes how allele and genotype frequencies will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of evolutionary influences.

Gene Pool

The complete set of genetic information within a population.

Polyploidy

A chromosomal alteration in which an organism has extra sets of chromosomes.

Aneuploidy

A chromosomal alteration involving an abnormal number of chromosomes.

Selection

A process in which individuals with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.