10.6 - Biodiversity: Genetic Diversity Flashcards
(9 cards)
How is a high genetic biodiversity indicated?
a large variety of alleles in the population’s gene pool
How can genetic diversity be compared?
- Comparing the frequency of measurable or observable characteristics.
- Comparing the base sequence of DNA.
- Comparing the base sequence of mRNA.
- Comparing the amino acid sequence of the proteins encoded by DNA and mRNA.
What are the limitations of using observable characteristics to measure genetic diversity? (3):
- Traits are often polygenic - This means they are influenced by several genes, which makes it challenging to separate the influence of individual genes.
- Environmental factors can alter traits - This leads to variations that are not genetically based.
- Traits may change gradually across a range - Traits not falling into distinct categories makes them difficult to differentiate.
How is biochemistry used to measure genetic diversity? (3)
- DNA - Populations that are more genetically diverse will have more differences in their DNA sequences.
- Messenger RNA - Base sequences of mRNA are complementary to DNA so can assess genetic diversity.
- Amino acids - Populations that are more genetically diverse will have more differences in their amino acid sequences because they are determined by mRNA and DNA.
What is the gene pool?
the collection of genes within an interbreeding population, the sum of all alleles at the loci within the genes
What is evolution?
Evolution is the formation of new species from pre-existing species over time, as a result of changes to gene pools from generation to generation
When does evolution occur?
the new species population must be genetically and reproductively isolated from the pre-existing species population
How is DNA from cells compared? and what if they’re similar?
base sequence is obtained and it determines the evolutionary relationships
the more similar the base sequence, the more closely related they are
What is only present in a zygote?
maternal mitochondrial DNA
