Patterns of Natural Selection

Introduction to Natural Selection

Natural selection posits that only a certain percentage of offspring born will survive to reproduce another generation. Individuals with certain genotypes will be more likely to survive, mate, and reproduce their genotypes in subsequent generations. Thus, natural selection acts upon individuals, whereas evolution occurs at the level of a population. There are [...]

Important Biology Terms

Species- a natural group that shares a distinct form
Population- a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same environment and can interbreed with each other
Gene pool- all the genes and all the alleles of those genes that exist in a population
Phenotype- the observable product of an individual’s genes; the expression of [...]

Huntington's Disease

Onset & Symptoms:

Personality changes
Forgetfulness
Involuntary movements
Begins in middle adulthood
Progresses over 15-20 years
Leads to loss of motor control and intellectual function

Treatments:

Nothing known to slow or stop the decline

Prevalence:

1 in 20,000 people

Famous People with the Disease:

Woody Guthrie

Heritability & Environmental Factors:

Caused by a dominant allele

Individuals with Huntington’s Disease have one dominant Huntington’s allele and one normal allele. It is [...]

Phenylketonuria (PKU)

Onset & Symtoms:

Mental retardation
Becomes apparent in infancy/very early childhood, but is variable
Excess of phenylpyruvic acid in urine

Treatments:

Specialized low-phenylalanine diet

Prevalence:

1 in 10,000 people

Famous People with the Disease:

Unknown

Heritability & Environmental Factors:

Caused by a recessive allele

PKU is caused by a recessive allele, meaning an individual must inherit two copies of the allele, one from each parent, in order [...]

Mendelian Genetics Basic Definitions

P generation – the “Parent” generation; the point of reference on which Mendelian predictions are based. Similar to an “index case” in a pedigree.
F1 generation – the first generation children of the P generation.
F2 generation – the second generation children of the P generation; the grandchildren of the P generation.
Dominant – the allele that is [...]