Pikas are small mammals that live at high elevations on the talus slopesof mountains. Most populations located on mountaintops in Coloradoand Montana in North America are isolated from one another: the pikasdon’t occupy the low-elevation habitats that separate the mountaintopsand don’t venture far from the talus slopes. Thus, there is little gene flowbetween populations. Furthermore, each population is small in size andwas founded by a small number of pikas.A group of population geneticists proposes to study the amount ofgenetic variation in a series of pika populations and to compare theallelic frequencies in different populations. On the basis of the biologyand distribution of pikas, predict what the population geneticists willfind concerning the within- and between-population genetic variation.
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!
Pikas are small mammals that live at high elevations on the talus slopes
of mountains. Most populations located on mountaintops in Colorado
and Montana in North America are isolated from one another: the pikas
don’t occupy the low-elevation habitats that separate the mountaintops
and don’t venture far from the talus slopes. Thus, there is little gene flow
between populations. Furthermore, each population is small in size and
was founded by a small number of pikas.
A group of population geneticists proposes to study the amount of
allelic frequencies in different populations. On the basis of the biology
and distribution of pikas, predict what the population geneticists will
find concerning the within- and between-population genetic variation.
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