Evolutionary Processes

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to evolutionary processes, natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, and the Hardy-Weinberg principle.

Evolution

The change in allele frequencies and the traits they code for over generational time.

Natural Selection

The process where carriers of alleles who survive better or reproduce more will pass on their alleles at a higher frequency than others, resulting in adaptation.

Genetic Drift

Random changes in the frequencies of alleles in a population, most pronounced in small populations.

Gene Flow

The movement of alleles between populations, enhancing genetic diversity by introducing new alleles.

Mutation

A change in nucleotide sequence during gamete production that creates new alleles.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

A principle that allows us to quantify frequencies of genes in populations and highlights conditions under which evolution could occur.

Population Bottleneck

A decline in population size that results in reduced genetic polymorphism.

Founder Effect

Loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

A state where allele frequencies in a population remain constant over generations in the absence of evolutionary forces.

Hardy-Weinberg Equation

A mathematical equation; for two alleles, p + q = 1 and genotype frequencies as p² + 2pq + q² = 1.