Imagine you are studying a population of finches on one of the Galápagos Islands. You have been recording many of the birds’ physical traits, including the length of both wings. You observe that for 80% of individuals measured, the length of the left wing is not significantly different from the length of the right wing (in other words, they are symmetrical). But for about 20% of birds measured, the wing
Gene Flow
Gene flow, also known as gene migration, is the introduction of genetic material from a particular population to another population of the same species through interbreeding. For example, a bee facilitates its reproductive process by carrying pollen from one flower to another. The flow alters the composition of the gene pool of the receiving population. It introduces new alleles within the population and helps increase variability. This exchange of genetic material occurs through reproduction and brings about new combinations of traits into the population. Where human beings are concerned, actual migration of populations, whether voluntary or forced, brings about gene flow.
Population Biology
Population biology is the study of patterns in organism populations, specifically the growth and management of population size, population genetics, the evolution of life history, species interactions, and demography.
Speciation
The process of speciation involves the formation of new species during evolution. The new species evolve in such a way that both new and old species are not able to interbreed. Thus, speciation occurs when few members of one species get separated from the main species due to geographical, mechanical, or reproductive isolation. These separated members develop new traits that make them different from the main species. In other words, speciation could be defined as the absence of gene flow between two populations that become new species.
Allele Fixation
A gene is a unit of heredity and contains both physical and functional information that shapes an individual. Genes are made up of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which carry genetic information from one generation to another, from one set of parents to their offspring, and so on. Every cell in a human body, or any living organism, has the same DNA, which implies that every cell in an individual’s body has all the information it needs to build and sustain the body!
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Imagine you are studying a population of finches on one of the Galápagos Islands. You have been recording many of the birds’ physical traits, including the length of both wings. You observe that for 80% of individuals measured, the length of the left wing is not significantly different from the length of the right wing (in other words, they are symmetrical). But for about 20% of birds measured, the wing lengths are asymmetrical. This distribution is true from generation to generation. Suddenly, a rare 5-day windstorm takes over the island. After the storm, you spend the next several days netting each bird on the island that survived the storm. You discover that 85% of the birds with symmetrical wings survived the storm, whereas only 5% of the birds with asymmetrical wings did. a. Propose a hypothesis to explain this observation. b. If such storms become increasingly common due to changes in climate, how might you expect the population to change over time with respect to wing symmetry? |
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