Ch15 Mutations and Population Genetics

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to mutations, their effects, and population genetics.

Mutation

A heritable change in the DNA sequence.

Silent Mutation

A type of mutation where the new codon stands for the same amino acid as the old codon, causing no change in the polypeptide.

Missense Mutation

A type of mutation where the new codon stands for a different amino acid, resulting in a change in the primary structure of the polypeptide.

Nonsense Mutation

A mutation that converts a codon into a stop codon, leading to a truncated polypeptide.

Frame Shift Mutation

A mutation caused by the insertion or deletion of nucleotides that shifts the reading frame of the genetic message.

Conservative Missense

A type of missense mutation where the new amino acid has similar properties to the original amino acid.

Nonconservative Missense

A type of missense mutation where the new amino acid has different properties compared to the original amino acid.

Polymorphic Genes

Genes that have two or more alleles within a population.

Monomorphic Genes

Genes that have only one allele present in a population.

Gene Pool

The sum of all different alleles for all genes in a population.

Mutation Rate

The probability that a specific gene will acquire a mutation in a given generation.

Mutation Frequency

How common a specific mutation is within a population.

Polar Mutation

A mutation that affects the expression of genes located downstream in an operon.

Promoter Mutation

A mutation in the DNA sequence that can prevent the gene from being expressed.

Germline Mutation

A mutation that occurs in germline cells and can be passed to the next generation.

Somatic Mutation

A mutation that occurs in somatic cells and cannot be passed to the next generation.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

A principle that predicts allele and genotype frequencies in a non-evolving population.

Genotype Frequency

The proportion of a specific genotype within a population.

Allele Frequency

The relative frequency of an allele at a genetic locus in a population.