Day 14 March

th 6

Chapter 8

Final Chance to Make Up Second Exam Is noon Friday (that means you have to find me, in person, and get the password and turn in your Study Guide be prepared!!!)

Mutation is the ultimate source of genetic variation in a population.

Nearly all mutations reduce an organisms fitness.

Suppose

paper.

that you have written a ten-page

Randomly

select one letter in the paper and change it to another letter the change more likely to make your paper better or worse?

Is

8.8 Genetic drift is a random change in allele frequencies in a population.

Do you know what Im talking about when I say alleles?

1. Yes 2. No

Alleles
An allele is an alternative form of a gene (one member of a pair) that is located at a specific position on a specific chromosome. These DNA codings determine distinct traits that can be passed on from parents to offspring.

The important factor that distinguishes genetic drift from natural selection:
The change in allele frequencies is not related to the alleles influence on reproductive success.
Like, having a cleft chin does not help you to reproduce

The impact of genetic drift is much greater in small populations than in large populations.
Like in the case of orange-furred tigers versus white-furred tigers

Fixation
Genetic

drift can lead to fixation for one allele for a gene in a population. this happens, there is no more variability in the population for this gene.

If

Genetic

drift reduces the genetic variation in a population.

Two special cases of genetic drift, the founder effect and population bottlenecks, are important in the evolution of populations.

Founder Effect
A

small number of individuals may leave a population and become the founding members of a new, isolated population. founders may have different allele frequencies than the original source population, particularly if they are a small sample.

The

Think GALAPAGOS!!!

Why are Amish people more likely to have extra fingers and toes?

8.9 Migration into or out of a population may change allele frequencies.

Migration, also called gene flow, is the movement of some individuals of a species from one population to another.

8.10 When three simple conditions are satisfied, evolution by natural selection occurs.
1. There must be variation for the particular trait within a population.
2. That variation must be inheritable. 3. Individuals with one version of the trait must produce more offspring than those with a different version of the trait.

Variation is necessary for natural selection

Whats your opinion?

1. I can see how different traits are passed from parent to offspring. 2. I can not see how traits are passed from parent to offspring.

Condition 1: Variation for a Trait

Variation

is all around us. Variation is the raw material on which evolution feeds.

Condition 2: Heritability
We call the transmission of traits from parents to their children through genetic information inheritance or heritability.

Condition 3: Differential Reproductive Success

1. There are more organisms born than can survive.

Condition 3: Differential Reproductive Success

2. Organisms are continually struggling for existence.

Question should humans intervene in cases of extinction?

Condition 3: Differential Reproductive Success

3. Some organisms are more likely to win this struggle and survive and reproduce.

Differential Reproductive Success

From all the variation existing in a population, individuals with traits most suited to reproduction in their environment generally leave more offspring than individuals with other traits.

At this point
1. I feel like I have a much better understanding of how evolution works. 2. I understand that traits are passed from parents to offspring, but I dont think thats evolution. 3. I dont get it at all. I cant see how traits are passed on from parents to offspring.

Most agricultural pests evolve resistance to pesticides.

How does this happen?

Winners versus Losers

Removing the Losers

Which trait in rabbits (listed below) has evolved due to interactions with predators?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Speed Coat color Eye color 1 and 2 All of the above

Which trait in rabbits (listed below) has evolved due to interactions with predators?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Speed Coat color Eye color 1 and 2 All of the above

Survival of the Fittest

Reproductive Fitness

success

a measure of the relative amount of reproduction of an individual with a particular phenotype, as compared with the reproductive output of individuals with alternative phenotypes

Fruit Fly Example

One

fly carries the genes for a version of a trait that allows it to survive a long time without food.

The

other fly has the genes for a different version of the trait that allows it to survive only a short while without food.
fly has the greater fitness?

Which

The alleles carried by an individual with high fitness will increase their market share in a population over time and the population will evolve.

There are three important elements to an organisms fitness: 1. An individuals fitness is measured relative to other genotypes or phenotypes in the population.

There are three important elements to an organisms fitness: 2. Fitness depends on the specific environment in which the organism lives.

There are three important elements to an organisms fitness:

3. Fitness depends on an organisms reproductive success compared to other organisms in the population.
If you are sterile, and can never have babies, your fitness is ZERO On the other hand, if you inherit an allele that gives you a trait that causes you to die at half the age of everyone else, but also causes you to have twice as many offspring as the average while you are alive, your fitness is increased.

"Survival of the fittest" is a misnomer.

Why?

8.12 Organisms in a population can become better matched to their environment through natural selection.

 Adaptationthe

process by which organisms become better matched to their environment and the specific features that make an organism more fitoccurs as a result of natural selection.

8.13 Natural selection does not lead to perfect organisms.

Why doesnt natural selection lead to the production of perfect organisms?

Factors that Prevent Populations from Progressing Inevitably toward Perfection

1. Environments change quickly.
2. Variation is needed as the raw material of selection. 3. There may be multiple different alleles for a trait, each causing an individual to have the same fitness.