Effects of genetic diversity

Question 1

There needs to be some level of genetic diversity within a population for natural selection to occur

Differences in the alleles possessed by individuals within a population result in differences in

Answer 1

phenotype

Question 2

Environmental factors affect the chance of survival of an organism; they, therefore, act as a

Answer 2

selection pressure

Question 3

Selection pressures

Answer 3

increase the chance of individuals with a specific phenotype surviving and reproducing over others

Question 4

The individuals with the favoured phenotypes are described as having a higher fitness

The fitness of an organism is defined as its ability to survive and pass on its alleles to offspring

Organisms with higher fitness posses adaptations that make them better suited to their environment

Question 5

A population with a large gene pool or high genetic diversity has a strong ability to

Answer 5

adapt to change

Question 6

If a population has a small gene pool or very low genetic diversity then they are much less able to

Answer 6

adapt to changes in the environment and so can become vulnerable to extinction

Question 7

example

Cheetahs are an example of a species with a small gene pool
They experienced a very large decline in numbers approximately 10,000 years ago

This left small, fragmented populations of individuals remaining

There was no mixing between populations and large amounts of inbreeding occurred

This is problematic for conservation as low genetic variation means the species are less likely to be able to respond (survive) in the event of any environmental changes