Population and conservation genetics Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is population genetics?
The study of genetic variation patterns in natural populations of the same species
What is conservation genetics?
The application of population genetics to conservation efforts
How is genotype frequency calculated?
Number of individuals with a genotype ÷ total individuals in the sample
How do you calculate allele frequency (for allele A)?
Frequency (A) = p = (2x number of AA individuals + number of Aa individuals)/total number of individuals x2
What are the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium assumptions?
Large population, random mating, no mutation, migration, or natural selection
What causes a population to deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
Population subdivision, mutation, migration, natural selection, social structure
How do you test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
Use chi-squared test comparing observed vs expected genotype frequencies
What are microsatellites?
Short tandem repeats of DNA, highly variable due to replication slippage
How does genetic drift affect populations?
Allele frequencies change randomly over generations, faster in small populations
What is inbreeding?
Mating between relatives increasing homozygosity in a population
What is inbreeding depression?
Reduced fitness from increased expression of harmful recessive alleles and loss of heterozygote advantage
What is the extinction vortex?
A cycle where inbreeding and genetic drift accelerate population decline toward extinction
What is genetic rescue?
Introducing new genetic material to reduce inbreeding depression
How is parentage analysis done?
Comparing genetic profiles at multiple loci between offspring and potential parents
What is the exclusion method in parentage testing?
Eliminating candidates with mismatched alleles at one or more loci
What is fitness in genetics?
The relative reproductive success of a genotype
How is relatedness used in studying social structure?
Close relatives share more alleles; relatedness measures help reveal social organization
