Population changes

over time in Living

Systems
MODULE 6

Prepared for University of the Philippines Baguio

Science 11 Department of Biology
OUTLINE
REVIEW: Definition of Terms
• Population Genetics
- Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection
• Evolutionary Ecology
- Five Major Concepts on Evolutionary Ecology
- Genetic Drift
• Genetic Variation and Population Size
The student should be able to:
1. compute for allelic and genotypic frequencies
2. explain how allelic and genotypic frequencies
and the traits they control change over time
REVIEW:
• Genes – heritable units passed from parent to offspring.
• Alleles – alternative forms of the same gene

• Dominant allele – fully expressed.

• Recessive allele –has no noticeable effect in the
presence of the dominant allele.
 Genotype Phenotype
(allelic combination) (flower color)

Homozygous PP
dominant

Heterozygous
dominant
Pp

Homozygous
recessive pp
REVIEW:
• Gene pool - the complete set of genetic
information contained within the
individuals in a population.

• When does a member of the population

become part of the gene pool?
he/she can share alleles with other
members

• Those who do not get involved in the sexual

process are excluded from the gene pool.
Do Dominant Traits always
predominate in the general population?
• Not necessarily
• There are factors that affect the
frequency of the expression of certain
traits.

ex:
Polydactyly (autosomal dominant
mutation)
POPULATION
GENETICS
• the study of changes in
the frequencies of genes
within a population.

• important in
understanding how
populations evolve and
how communities and
ecosystems change over
time.
 Natural
Selection

• genetic frequencies
in a population
change as a result
of the survival and
reproductive
success of the
individuals bearing
those traits.
 Evolutionary Ecology
1.
2. Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
(𝒑 + 𝒒)𝟐 = 𝑝" + 𝑝𝑞 + 𝑝𝑞 + 𝑞 " = 𝒑𝟐 + 𝟐𝒑𝒒 + 𝒒𝟐

Wherein p = dominant allele

q = recessive allele
Example: In a 150 population of tall (T) and dwarf (t) bean
plants that is in equilibrium, 90 out of the 150 exhibited a tall trait.
The dominant allele would be T expressing the tall trait.
a. what is the frequency of dwarf alleles?
b. what is the number of dwarf bean plants?
3.
4. Evolution by natural selection depends upon
the heritability of traits.

5. Change due to chance/random processes, like

GENETIC DRIFT, which is a change in the
frequencies of small populations
 Genetic
Drift

• a mechanism of evolution in which allele

frequencies of a population change over
generations due to chance (sampling error)
•its effects are strongest in small populations
 Genetic Drift
• Involves the effective population size (ne), which is the
number of adults contributing gametes to the next
generation

- Includes the number of breeding females plus the

number of breeding males.
 Genetic variation and
Population Size
INBREEDING – mating among close relatives decreases genetic
variation (homozygosity)

Because of
generations of
inbreeding, 90% of
panther sperm is
abnormal

Florida panther
(Felis concolor coryi)
The greater
the
inbreeding,
the faster
decrease in
genetic
variation
 Juvenile
mortality is
higher
Effect are
more extreme
in small
populations

Rule of thumb:
50 individuals are
necessary to
prevent deleterious
effects of
inbreeding
Peromyscus maniculatus
Neighborhood
Effect and Natal
Homing
Genetic variation tends
to decline in populations
mating primarily with
close neighbors
(neighborhood effect)

Natal homing or natal

philopatry
 GENE POOL of a Environmental factors
species determine reproductive ALTERED
success GENE POOL
Mutations add new
genes Sexual 1.Which individuals
reproduction survive
within the gene
pool produces
new gene 2. How well each
combinations individual reproduces
Immigrants into
gene pool add new
3. Which individuals
genes
are chosen as mates

Emigrants remove genes

from the gene pool