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Genetic drift is the spread of specific random variations throughout the gene pool in the absence of specific selection pressures. There's always random variation in the population, but there aren't always changes in the environment for the population to adapt to. So natural selection, in stead of moving the population towards adaptation, might select from that random variation to move 'sideways', as it were, to a state that's equally well-adapted to the environment as what came before, but different. As random variation may produce many variants that are, more or less, equally well-adapted to their environment, the direction of evolution that results is more or less random.
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What is evolution in genetic terms?
In terms of a population, evolution is just the change of allele frequencies over time. Natural selection can cause certain advantageous alleles to increase in frequency, and detrimental alleles to decrease in frequency.
In what kinds of situations is genetic drift likely to occur?
Genetic drift may occur when a small group of individuals colonizes a new habitat. These individuals may carry alleles in different relative frequencies than did the larger population from which they came.
Genetic drift can best be described as?
D) the change in frequencies of alleles due to random events
What is evolution genetic terms?
Any change over time in the relative frequency of alleles in a population.
Which is an example of genetic drift?
Allele frequencies change randomly each generation. APEX
A change in relative frequencies of alleles in the gene pool of a population is called?
A genetic drift is a random change in allele frequency over time that is brought about by chances. A bottle neck is a drastic reduction in population size brought about by severe pressure.
Does evolution happen on a genetic level?
Yes. The basic definition of evolution depends on changes in the frequency of alleles in a population.
What indicates that evolution is occurring in a population in genetic terms?
In terms of a population, evolution is just the change of allele frequencies over time. Natural selection can cause certain advantageous alleles to increase in frequency, and detrimental alleles to decrease in frequency.
Why are small populations more prone to genetic disease?
In larger populations there is stronger selection against deleterious traits. The smaller the population, the greater the degree of deleterious traits are accepted.
How do gene frequencies change when there is no relationship between genetic variation and reproductive success?
Alleles that are neither selected for or against will remain at the same frequency in a population. (This assumes that the population is also large enough to not suffer from variation due to genetic drift.)
What question did hardy and Weinberg want an answer?
Hardy and Weinberg wanted to answer the question of how genetic variation is maintained in a population over time. They developed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle, which describes the expected frequencies of alleles in a population that is not undergoing any evolutionary changes.
What are the changes of allele frequency in a small population that is due to random chance and don't follow the laws of probability?
Random changes in allele frequency are due to genetic drift.
