RIO Unit 8 Chapter 16 Reading Guide Name: _______________________

1. What are the two main sources of heritable variation in a population (key concept)?

2. What is a gene pool?

3. What is relative frequency?

4. Use figure 16-2 to calculate the relative frequency of each allele.

5. How is evolution defined in genetic terms (key concept)?

6. What are the two main sources of genetic variation (key concept)?

7. Explain how mutations provide genetic variation.

8. Explain how gene shuffling provides genetic variation.

9. What determines the numbers of phenotypes for a given trait (key concept)?

10. Explain the difference between single-gene traits and polygenic traits. Provide examples to support your
explanation.

11. What does the shape of the graph in figure 16-4 indicate about the height in humans?

12. Why does natural selection never act directly on genes?

RIO Unit 8 Chapter 16 Reading Guide Name: _______________________

13. How does natural selection affect single-gene and polygenic traits (key concepts)? Provide examples to
support your explanation.

14. In what three ways does natural selection affect the distribution of phenotypes in a population’s gene
pool (key concept)?

15. Draw and explain directional selection.

16. Draw and explain stabilizing selection.

17. Draw and explain disruptive selection.

18. What is genetic drift (key concept)?

19. Explain the founder effect. Provide examples to support your explanation.
RIO Unit 8 Chapter 16 Reading Guide Name: _______________________

20. What is the Hardy-Weinberg principle?

21. What genetic equilibrium and how does this determine whether or not a population will evolve?

22. What five conditions are needed to maintain genetic equilibrium? Explain all five.

23. What is speciation?

RIO Unit 8 Chapter 16 Reading Guide Name: _______________________

24. What four isolating mechanisms are involved in the formation of a new species? Explain all four.

25. Describe the process of speciation in the Galapagos finches (key concept). Explain all six.