Lecture 5B_Ecological

Genetics
HN Suarez
 Sources of Genetic Variation
Genetic variation is the ingredient for Natural Selection.

Mutation: inheritable changes in a gene or a chromosome

Gene mutation: (point mutation)
Chromosome mutation
ü deletion, duplication, inversion, translocation
Genetic Recombination
Sexual reproduction
two individuals produce haploid gametes (egg or sperm) – that combine to form a diploid cell or zygote.
ü Reassortment of genes provided by two parents in the offspring
ü Increases dramatically the variation within a population by creating new combinations of existing genes.

Asexual reproduction: less variation (only mutation)

Types of mutations
NORMAL GENE

mRNA
Protein Met Lys Phe Gly Ala

BASE SUBSTITUTION

Met Lys Phe Ser Ala

BASE DELETION Missing

Met Lys Leu Ala His

Mutations
 Normal hemoglobin DNA Mutant hemoglobin DNA

mRNA mRNA

Normal hemoglobin Sickle-cell hemoglobin

Glu Val
Genetic Variation
Genetic Recombination: DNA recombination
- Genetic recombination
(genetic reshuffling) is the
exchange of genetic
material; leads to
production of offspring with
combinations of traits that
differ from those found in
either parent
- involves the exchange of
genetic material either
between multiple
chromosomes or between
different regions of the
same chromosome
The Phenotype Is the Physical Expression of the Genotype
- The outward appearance of an organism for a
given characteristic is its phenotype.
- The phenotype is the external, observable
expression of the genotype.
- When an individual is heterozygous, the two
different alleles may produce an individual with
intermediate characteristics
or one allele may mask the expression of the other
Genetic Variation Occurs at the level of the
Population
Adaptations are the characteristics of individual organisms
A reflection of the interaction of the genes and the environment
They are the product of natural selection
Adaptation Is a Product of Evolution by Natural Selection
- An allele is an alternative form of a gene.
- alleles refer to different versions of a gene.
- There are often two alleles of one gene.
Evolution as changes in the properties of
populations of organisms over the course of
generations
Phenotypic evolution can be defined as a
change in the mean or variance of a phenotypic
trait across generations due to changes in allele
frequencies.
- In favoring one phenotype over another, the
process of natural selection acts directly on the
phenotype.
- But in doing so, natural selection changes
allele frequencies within the population.
 Evolution is a change in
Gene Frequency

Evolution is a change of gene frequencies within a population (or species)

over time
üIndividuals do not evolve, populations evolve.
üFocus on gene pool, collective.
 Five Causes of Evolution

• Mutations
• Gene flow - Emigration and immigration of individuals
(Flow of alleles)
• Genetic Drift – Changes in the gene pool of a small
population due to chance
• Nonrandom mating: (AA mates AA, Aa)
• Natural Selection
 The Hardy-Weinberg Principle
The Hardy-Weinberg Principle:
Gene frequencies will remain the same in successive
generations of a sexually reproducing population if the
following five conditions hold:
• Random mating
• There is no mutation
• The population is very large
• There is no selection
• There is no migrations (isolated from other populations)
Note: Migration is defined as the movement of individuals between local populations, whereas gene flow is the movement of
genes between populations
if an individual immigrates into a population but does not successfully reproduce, the new
genes are not established in the population.
Types of Natural
Selection
 Directional Selection
Downward arrows represent selection pressures; horizontal arrows
represent the direction of change.

- Directional selection moves the

mean of the population toward
one extreme.
- The increased survival rate of
individuals with larger beaks
resulted in a shift in the
distribution of beak size
(phenotypes) in the population.
 Stabilizing Selection
- Stabilizing selection favors organisms with
values close to the population mean.
- In other cases, natural selection may favor
individuals near the population mean at the
expense of the two extremes.

e.g. Very light-colored or very dark-colored oysters might

be more frequently preyed upon by shore birds, simply
because they are more obvious on the oyster bar; as a
result, the intermediate hues become more common.
 Disruptive Selection
- Disruptive selection increases the frequencies
of both extremes.
Downward arrows represent selection
pressures; horizontal arrows represent the
direction of change.
- Light-colored oysters are more cryptic (less
easy for a predator to see) because they match
the rock color. - Dark-colored oysters blend into
the shadows cast by the rocks.
- In this case, intermediate-colored oysters
would be most heavily preyed upon by the
crabs, and very light and very dark oysters
would survive to reproduce.
 Disruptive Selection Disruptive selection increases the
frequencies of both extremes.
Examples:
In an environment with black and white rocks…
White rabbit lives: Camouflaged
Grey rabbit dies: Seen by predator
Black rabbit lives: Camouflaged
Peppered Moth(Biston betularia)

In an environment with deep and shallow flowers…

Short beak hummingbird lives: can get pollen from flower
Medium beak hummingbird dies: cannot get pollen from flower
Long beak hummingbird lives: can get pollen from flower
Summary:
Fox, Vulpes lagopus & Urocyon
cinereoargenteus
 Genetic Differentiation & Adaptive Radiation
The variation in environmental conditions often give
rise to a corresponding variation in morphological,
physiological and behavioral characteristics.

Speciation
Speciation occurs when a group within a species
separates from other members of its species and
develops its own unique characteristics

Adaptive Radiation
The process in which one species gives rise to multiple
species that exploit different features of the
environment, such as food or habitats, is called
Adaptive Radiation.
 ADAPTIVE RADIATION
►Adaptive radiation most
commonly occurs when
a species of organisms
successfully invades an
isolated region where
few competing species
exist. If new habitats are
available, new species
will evolve.
Adaptive radiation is the diversification of a species
into different forms in order to adapt to different
environmental conditions for their survival.
Finches (Family Fringillidae)
DIVERGENT EVOLUTION
Red Fox ►Divergent evolution is the process of two or more
related species becoming more and more dissimilar.
►Example: The red fox and the kit fox
• The red fox lives in mixed farmlands and forests,
where its red color helps it blend in with surrounding
trees.
• The kit fox lives on the plains and in the deserts,
where its sandy color helps conceal it from prey and
predators. The ears of the kit fox are larger than
those of the red fox. The kit fox's large ears are an
adaptation to its desert environment
Kit Fox
►Similarities in structure indicate that the red
► fox and the kit fox had a common ancestor. As they
adapted to different environments, the appearance
of the two species diverged, or became more and
more different.

Divergent evolution is the accumulation of

differences between groups of organisms that
lead to the creation of new, different varieties
of species.
 CONVERGENT EVOLUTION
►Convergent evolution is the opposite of divergent evolution
►In convergent evolution, unrelated species become more and
more similar in appearance as they adapt to the same kind of
environment.
►Frogs and Chameleons are examples of convergent evolution
because although they are different amphibians, they have
both developed harpoon-like tongues to catch insects
Convergent Evolution