Genetic Variation definitions Flashcards

Differences in DNA among individuals within a population, arising from mutations, gene flow, and sexual reproduction, which contribute to the diversity and adaptability of species.

The process where organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring, leading to the prevalence of advantageous traits in the population over generations.

Mating between closely related individuals, leading to increased homozygosity and reduced genetic variation, often resulting in decreased fitness and potential inbreeding depression.

The condition where an individual has two identical alleles for a specific gene, leading to reduced genetic variation and potentially decreased fitness in a population.

The presence of different alleles at a gene locus within an individual, promoting genetic diversity and often conferring a survival advantage in changing environments.

A reduction in population fitness due to increased homozygosity and decreased heterozygosity from mating between relatives, leading to a higher prevalence of deleterious alleles.

A natural selection process where individuals with certain traits outcompete others for mates, often leading to pronounced differences between sexes and sometimes reducing overall fitness.

Phenotypic differences between males and females of a species, often driven by sexual selection, such as size, color, or ornamentation variations.

Selection where one sex, typically females, chooses mates based on certain traits, often leading to pronounced differences between males and females in a species.

Competition within the same sex, typically males, for access to mates, often involving physical contests or displays of dominance.

A type of natural selection where multiple alleles are maintained in a population due to advantages like heterozygote superiority or frequency-dependent selection.

When heterozygous individuals have a higher fitness than homozygous individuals, often due to a genetic trait providing a survival advantage in specific environments.

Selection where the fitness of a phenotype depends on its frequency relative to other phenotypes in a population, favoring rare alleles when they are uncommon.

The transfer of alleles between populations through migration, altering allele frequencies and increasing genetic diversity.

Random changes in allele frequencies within a population due to chance events, often leading to reduced genetic variation, especially in small populations.