Evolutionary Processes and Natural Selection

A set of flashcards covering key concepts related to evolutionary processes, natural selection, and population genetics.

Natural Selection

An editing mechanism that selects among existing variations in a population, rather than a creative process.

Mimicry

When a harmless species resembles a harmful species to deter predators, thereby improving the fitness of the mimic.

Industrial Melanism

The phenomenon where dark-colored organisms become more common in polluted environments, as seen in the case of peppered moths in England during the Industrial Revolution.

Selected For

Traits that increase reproductive success are favored and become more common in a population.

Selected Against

Traits that decrease reproductive success are disfavored and become less common in a population.

Allele Frequency

The relative proportion of an allele in a population, expressed as a fraction or percentage.

Genotype Frequency

The relative proportion of a genotype in a population.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living at the same time and place, capable of interbreeding.

Genetic Drift

Random events that cause allele frequencies to change, particularly evident in small populations.

Gene Flow

The gain or loss of alleles when individuals enter or leave a population.

Mutation

Any change in DNA, which can introduce new alleles into a population.

Non-Random Mating

When individuals select mates based on specific traits rather than randomly.

Continuous Variation

A type of variation where any value is possible across a range of phenotypes, such as height or weight.

Discontinuous Variation

A type of variation where traits occur in discrete categories, like blood type or ear lobe shape.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Model

A principle used to measure allele frequencies in a population, based on certain assumptions that must be met to observe no evolutionary change.