Identify and describe the evolutionary forces that can cause allele frequencies to change from one generation to the next.

Key Concepts

Natural Selection

Natural selection is a process where individuals with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, leading to changes in allele frequencies over generations. This mechanism promotes the adaptation of populations to their environments, as advantageous alleles become more common while disadvantageous ones diminish.

Genetic Drift

Genetic drift refers to random fluctuations in allele frequencies within a population, particularly in small populations. This stochastic process can lead to the loss of genetic variation and can cause alleles to become fixed or lost purely by chance, independent of their adaptive value.

Gene Flow

Gene flow, or gene migration, is the transfer of alleles or genes from one population to another through migration. This process can introduce new genetic material into a population, altering allele frequencies and increasing genetic diversity, which can have significant evolutionary implications.