Population Genetics WOU Homepage群体遗传学我的主页.pptVIP

Population Genetics Red hair will eventually die out because it’s recessive... Brown eyes are dominant so they will take over... Little toes will go away because we don’t use them... Humans will get bigger brains because we need them... You may have heard that... But is that how it works? Genetics Populations Evolution = Change in the gene frequencies of a population across generations. Red hair and blue eyes are inherited traits. If red hair or blue eyes are to “die out,” what would cause this kind of change in the genetics of a population? Hardy Weinberg Hardy Weinberg asked the opposite question: Under what conditions would there be NO change in the genetics of a population? Conditions of NO change: large population, random mating, no migration, no mutations, no selection. (a) Population size = 10,000 (b) Population size = 4 generation generation frequency of allele A frequency of allele A In the small population, one allele may become extinct in a few generations. In the large population, allele frequencies remain relatively constant. Population size Random events have a larger effect on smaller populations. The gene pool of a population contains equal numbers of red, blue, yellow, and green alleles. After the population grows and returns to its original size, blue alleles predominate; red and green alleles have disappeared. By chance, the gene pool of the reduced population contains mostly blue and a few yellow alleles. A bottleneck event drastically reduces the size of the population. A drastic change in population size decreases genetic diversity in later generations. Non-random mating Many living species have ways to compete for mates. In some populations, only a few individuals can mate. Mate preference is non-random. Even in the same species, many animals will prefer mates that resemble themselves. Sexual selection, the result of non-random mating, selects for traits that secure mates — though some attractive traits are drawbacks in other ways. Migratio