Let’s Review a few things…shall
we?
A gene pool is the total number of genes of
every individual in an interbreeding
population.
Evolution can be defined as a change in the gene pool
over time.
Genetic Drift is a random change in the
frequency of alleles in a population due to
random sampling.
I. Mechanisms of Evolution
There are 5 factors that can affect the frequency
of a gene in the gene pool.
a. Small Population
b. Non-random Mating
c. Gene Mutations
d. Gene Flow
e. Natural Selection
A. Small Population
1. Bottleneck effect- a disaster
causes many deaths and a
decrease in the size of the
gene pool.
2. Founder effect- when a
few individuals form a
new population in a new
area
*This decreases the size of the gene pool in
the new population.
B. Non-Random Mating
1. Male spiders dancing to
impress females
2. Male lions will compete
with other males over
females
3. Female proboscis
monkeys choose males
with the biggest nose
C. Genetic Mutation
1. the source of all new genes in a gene pool
and the ultimate source of new traits in a
population
D. Gene Flow
1. Gene flow-the movement of genes into or
out of a population.
a. Emigration- individuals leave a population and decrease the size of
the gene pool.
b. Immigration- individuals from a different population enter a new
population and begin breeding. This increases the size of the gene
pool.
E. Natural Selection
1. survival of the fittest
2. advantageous genes are
passed on to the next
generation while harmful
genes are eliminated
3. the driving force of
evolution
• How does the size of the gene pool affect
the rate of evolution?
Effects of Gene Pool Size
1. A decrease in gene pool size increases the
speed of evolution and visa versa.
2. An increase in gene pool size reduces the
speed of evolution and visa versa.
Changes in the frequency of a gene in the gene pool initially leads to
microevolution.
Microevolution refers to a small change in a population over a
short amount of time.
Many small changes eventually lead to macroevolution.
Macroevolution refers to the sum total of many changes that
transform organisms over a long period of time.
Macroevolution leads to speciation or the creation of a new species.
When an evolving population can no longer interbreed with
the original population, a new species is formed.
Changes in the frequency of a gene in a gene pool
leads to
Microevolution: small change over a period of time
leads to
Macroevolution: total of many changes that transform
organisms over a long period of time.
leads to
Speciation: creation of 2 different species from 1 original
species
Mix-Freeze-Group
Genetic Natural Small Non-Random
Mutation Selection Population Mating
2 3 4 5
• I am going to survive! Because I have the best genes for my
environment.
• I am HUGELY affected by genetic drift.
• I am VERY picky. I will only choose you, because your traits
are most attractive to me.
• I am a mistake in the DNA sequence
Scenarios
You will work in groups of 2 or 3
to identify what mechanism the
following scenarios describe.
You will need one sheet of
paper per group and number it
1-13. Write all names on it.
1. The DNA sequence
in a bird is changed
from ATT CCG TTG
to TTA CCG TTG
which changes the
beak shape from
long and thin to
short and fat.
2. Northern elephant
seals were hunted
almost to extinction
by people in the
1890s. The remaining
population has
reduced genetic
variation.
3. A lioness joins
a new pride and
has cubs with
the male lion.
4. A small group of
birds flies from the
mainland to an
island and starts a
new colony. (The
birds never return
to the mainland.)
6. Amish people
are required by
their religion to
only marry and
have children with
other Amish
people.
[Link] moths are eaten by
birds. The moth color varies
from light to dark. Light
colored moths can blend in
with a nearby species of tree.
In the 1800s factories
released large amounts of
soot, which changed the tree
color, so the birds were able
to more easily find the lighter
moths instead of the darker
moths.
8. In 2012, the Yalta Zoo
in the Ukraine took
ownership of 5 white
lion cubs. White lions
are caused by a
reduced pigmentation
(skin color). A very rare
occurrence.
9. American bison were
once very prevalent in North
America, but were hunted
close to extinction in the late
1800's. Though the
population is recovering, the
rapid decrease in population
size has led to a population
with very little genetic
variability
