Evolution Populations: Natural Selection Vocabulary

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Natural Selection

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The process in which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully. "Survival of the fittest."

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Gene pool

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All the genes, including differents alleles, that are present in a population.

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Population

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All of the same species in one area.

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Genetic diversity

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The total sum of all genetic information carried by all organisms living on Earth.

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Relative Frequency

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The number of times that allele occurs in a gene pool.

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Evolution

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Any change in the relative frequency of alleles in a population.

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Gene shuffling

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Occurs during the production of gametes. When you do not look exactly like either of your parents due to the independent assortment of alleles that occurs during meiosis.

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Evolutionary fitness

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An organism's success in passing genes to the next generation.

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Adaptation

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Any trait that increases an individual's chance of survival and reproduction.

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Directional Selection

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When individuals with one of the extreme forms of a trait has a better fitness that other forms other forms of the trait, the range of phenotypes shifts as the individuals with lower fitness die out.

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Stabilizing Selection

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When the moderate form of a trait outcompetes the two extremes.

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Disruptive Selection

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When individuals of both extreme forms of a trian outcompete the middle/ moderat form.

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Founder Effect

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A situation in which the allele frequencies change as a result of the migration of a small subgroup of a population.

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Genetic Drift

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When an allele becomes more or less common simply by chance.

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Random Mating

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The theory that every member of the population must have an equal opportunity to produce offspring.