The Evolution of Populations Chapter 23 The Evolution of Populations

Overview: The Smallest Unit of Evolution One misconception is that organisms evolve, in the Darwinian sense, during their lifetimes Natural selection acts on individuals, but only populations evolve Genetic variations in populations contribute to evolution

: Population genetics: foundation for studying evolution Microevolution is change in the genetic makeup of a population from generation to generation Population genetics is the study of how populations change genetically over time Population genetics integrates Mendelian genetics with the Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection This modern synthesis focuses on populations as units of evolution

Gene Pools and Allele Frequencies A population is a localized group of individuals capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring The gene pool is the total aggregate of genes in a population at any one time The gene pool consists of all gene loci in all individuals of the population

The Hardy-Weinberg Theorem The Hardy-Weinberg theorem describes a population that is not evolving It states that frequencies of alleles and genotypes in a population’s gene pool remain constant from generation to generation, provided that only Mendelian segregation and recombination of alleles are at work Mendelian inheritance preserves genetic variation in a populationHardy-Weinberg equilibrium describes a population in which random mating occurs It describes a population where allele frequencies do not change

Preservation of Allele Frequencies In a given population where gametes contribute to the next generation randomly, allele frequencies will not change. If p and q represent the relative frequencies of the only two possible alleles in a population at a particular locus, then p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1 And p2 and q2 represent the frequencies of the homozygous genotypes and 2pq represents the frequency of the heterozygous genotype

Gametes for each generation are drawn at random from the gene pool LE 23-5 Gametes for each generation are drawn at random from the gene pool of the previous generation: 80% CR (p = 0.8) 20% CW (q = 0.2) Sperm CR (80%) CW (20%) p2 pq (80%) CR Eggs 64% CRCR 16% CRCW (20%) CW 16% CRCW 4% CWCW qp q2

Conditions for Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium The Hardy-Weinberg theorem describes a hypothetical population In real populations, allele and genotype frequencies do change over timeThe five conditions for non-evolving populations are rarely met in nature: Extremely large population size No gene flow No mutations Random mating No natural selection

Population Genetics and Human Health We can use the Hardy-Weinberg equation to estimate the percentage of the human population carrying the allele for an inherited disease

Animation: Genetic Variation from Sexual Recombination Mutation Mutation and sexual recombination produce the variation that makes evolution possible Two processes, mutation and sexual recombination, produce the variation in gene pools that contributes to differences among individuals Mutations are changes in the nucleotide sequence of DNA Mutations cause new genes and alleles to arise Animation: Genetic Variation from Sexual Recombination

Mutations A point mutation is a change in one base in a gene It is usually harmless but may have significant impact on phenotype Chromosomal mutations that delete, disrupt, or rearrange many loci are typically harmful Gene duplication is nearly always harmful Mutation rates are low in animals and plants The average is about one mutation in every 100,000 genes per generation Mutations are more rapid in microorganisms

Sexual Recombination Sexual recombination is far more important than mutation in producing the genetic differences that make adaptation possible

Natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow can alter a population’s genetic composition Three major factors alter allele frequencies and bring about most evolutionary change: Natural selection Genetic drift Gene flow Differential success in reproduction results in certain alleles being passed to the next generation in greater proportions

Animation: Causes of Evolutionary Change Genetic Drift The smaller a sample, the greater the chance of deviation from a predicted result Genetic drift describes how allele frequencies fluctuate unpredictably from one generation to the next Genetic drift tends to reduce genetic variation through losses of alleles Animation: Causes of Evolutionary Change

LE 23-7 CRCR CRCR CWCW CRCR CRCR CRCW CRCW CRCR CRCR CWCW CRCR CRCR Only 5 of 10 plants leave offspring CRCW Only 2 of 10 plants leave offspring CRCR CRCR CWCW CRCR CRCR CWCW CRCR CRCR CRCW CRCW CRCR CRCR CRCR CRCW CWCW CRCR CRCR CRCR CRCW CRCW CRCW CRCR CRCR Generation 1 p (frequency of CR) = 0.7 q (frequency of CW) = 0.3 Generation 2 p = 0.5 q = 0.5 Generation 3 p = 1.0 q = 0.0

The Bottleneck Effect The bottleneck effect is a sudden change in the environment that may drastically reduce the size of a population The resulting gene pool may no longer be reflective of the original population’s gene pool Understanding the bottleneck effect can increase understanding of how human activity affects other species

LE 23-8 Original population Bottlenecking event Surviving population

The Founder Effect/Gene Flow The founder effect occurs when a few individuals become isolated from a larger population It can affect allele frequencies in a population Gene flow consists of genetic additions or subtractions from a population, resulting from movement of fertile individuals or gametes Gene flow causes a population to gain or lose alleles It tends to reduce differences between populations over time

Natural selection is the primary mechanism of adaptive evolution Natural selection accumulates and maintains favorable genotypes in a population

Genetic Variation Genetic variation occurs in individuals in populations of all species It is not always heritable Both discrete and quantitative characters contribute to variation within a population Discrete characters can be classified on an either-or basis Quantitative characters vary along a continuum within a population

Map butterflies that emerge in spring: orange and brown LE 23-9 Map butterflies that emerge in spring: orange and brown Map butterflies that emerge in late summer: black and white

Polymorphism Phenotypic polymorphism describes a population in which two or more distinct morphs for a character are represented in high enough frequencies to be readily noticeable Genetic polymorphisms are the heritable components of characters that occur along a continuum in a population

Measuring Genetic Variation Population geneticists measure polymorphisms in a population by determining the amount of heterozygosity at the gene and molecular levels Average heterozygosity measures the average percent of loci that are heterozygous in a population. Most species exhibit geographic variation differences between gene pools of separate populations or population subgroups

LE 23-10 1 2.4 3.14 5.18 6 7.15 8.11 9.12 10.16 13.17 19 XX 1 2.19 3.8 4.16 5.14 6.7 9.10 11.12 13.17 15.18 XX

Some examples of geographic variation occur as a cline, which is a graded change in a trait along a geographic axis Heights of yarrow plants grown in common garden Seed collection sites

A Closer Look at Natural Selection From the range of variations available in a population, natural selection increases frequencies of certain genotypes, fitting organisms to their environment over generations

Evolutionary Fitness The phrases “struggle for existence” and “survival of the fittest” are commonly used to describe natural selection but can be misleading Reproductive success is generally more subtle and depends on many factors Fitness is the contribution an individual makes to the gene pool of the next generation, relative to the contributions of other individuals Relative fitness is the contribution of a genotype to the next generation, compared with contributions of alternative genotypes for the same locus

Directional, Disruptive, and Stabilizing Selection Selection favors certain genotypes by acting on the phenotypes of certain organisms Three modes of selection: Directional=Directional selection favors individuals at one end of the phenotypic range Disruptive-Disruptive selection favors individuals at both extremes of the phenotypic range Stabilizing-Stabilizing selection favors intermediate variants and acts against extreme phenotypes

LE 23-12 Original population Frequency of individuals Original Evolved population Phenotypes (fur color) Directional selection Disruptive selection Stabilizing selection

The Preservation of Genetic Variation Various mechanisms help to preserve genetic variation in a population Diploidy maintains genetic variation in the form of hidden recessive alleles Balancing selection occurs when natural selection maintains stable frequencies of two or more phenotypic forms in a population Balancing selection leads to a state called balanced polymorphism Some individuals who are heterozygous at a particular locus have greater fitness than homozygotes=HETEROZYGUS ADVANTAGE-SICKLE CELL AMEMIA Natural selection will tend to maintain two or more alleles at that locus

Plasmodium falciparum (a protozoan) LE 23-13 Frequencies of the sickle-cell allele 0–2.5% 2.5–5.0% 5.0–7.5% Distribution of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum (a protozoan) 7.5–10.0% 10.0–12.5% >12.5%

Selection In frequency-dependent selection, the fitness of any morph declines if it becomes too common in the population Neutral variation is genetic variation that appears to confer no selective advantage Sexual selection is natural selection for mating success It can result in sexual dimorphism, marked differences between the sexes in secondary sexual characteristics

LE 23-14 On pecking a moth image the blue jay receives a food reward. If the bird does not detect a moth on either screen, it pecks the green circle to continue a new set of images (a new feeding opportunity). Parental population sample 0.6 Experimental group sample 0.5 Phenotypic variation 0.4 Frequency- independent control 0.3 0.2 20 40 60 80 100 Generation number Plain background Patterned background

Intrasexual selection is competition among individuals of one sex for mates of the opposite sex Intersexual selection occurs when individuals of one sex (usually females) are choosy in selecting their mates from individuals of the other sex Selection may depend on the showiness of the male’s appearance

The Evolutionary Enigma of Sexual Reproduction Sexual reproduction produces fewer reproductive offspring than asexual reproduction, a so-called “reproductive handicap” Sexual reproduction produces genetic variation that may aid in disease resistance

Asexual reproduction Sexual reproduction Female Generation 1 Female

Why Natural Selection Cannot Fashion Perfect Organisms Evolution is limited by historical constraints Adaptations are often compromises Chance and natural selection interact Selection can only edit existing variations