Lecture 19 Flashcards
Does evolution occur in individuals or populations?
Evolution occurs in populations over successive generations, not within individual lifetimes (NOT individuals)
What are populations in the context of evolution?
Populations consist of all individuals of the same species living in a specific area at the same time, exhibiting variations in traits, some of which are inherited.
How does evolutionary change occur?
from one generation to the next, primarily through genetic variations
Why is genetics considered the basis of evolution?
Genetics determines how traits are passed from one generation to the next
What did Darwin not understand regarding the transmission of traits?
Darwin lacked an understanding of how traits were inherited from one generation to the next.
Between Darwin and Mendel, What did each talk about? (to explain evolution)
Darwin = NAtrual selection to explain evolution
Mendel = Principles of inheritance
What did both of these Theories come about?
Population Genetics
What is Population Genetics?
Science that studies the process of microevolution (Science that studies the process of microevolution)
What is Microevolution?
Is a change in the genetic makeup of a
population from generation to generation
Evolutionary change below what level?
below the species level
Can microevolution eventually lead to macroevolution?
YES
Why is this considered microevolution?
because although it doesn’t result in the formation of a new species, the genetic makeup of the population changes significantly
(no new species BUT genetics differ)
Describe the scenario of the abandoned mine.
The soil is rich in toxic heavy metals, allowing only grass seeds with alleles for heavy-metal tolerance to germinate, grow, and reproduce.
What happens to the offspring of plants with heavy-metal tolerance?
These plants tend to produce offspring with metal-tolerant traits.
What is the consequence of this selective pressure on the population? (over time)
the frequency of the allele for heavy-metal tolerance increases in the population
How has the genetic makeup of the population changed?
non-resistant alleles were dominant, but over time, heavy-metal-resistant alleles became dominant in that area.
What is Macroevolution? (in simple terms)
new species, new groups
What defines the gene pool of a population?
alleles for all the loci present in the population
How many alleles do diploid organisms typically have at each genetic locus?
two alleles at each genetic locus
Why do individuals within a population exhibit variations in traits?
due to genes coming in different allelic forms
How do individuals contribute to the gene pool of a population?
Each individual contributes only a small fraction of the alleles present in the population’s gene pool.
Provide an example of genetic variation in humans.
Humans exhibit genetic variation in traits such as hair color, eye color, etc., which result from different allelic forms of genes.
What is Genotype frequency?
The proportion of a particular genotype in the population