Chapter 23
1. Explain what is meant by the "modern synthesis".
2. Explain how microevolutionary change can affect a gene pool.
3. In their own words, state the Hardy-Weinberg theorem.
4. Write the general Hardy-Weinberg equation and use it to calculate allele and genotype frequencies.
5. Explain the consequences of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
6. Demonstrate, with a simple example, that a disequilibrium population requires only one generation of random mating to establish Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
7. Describe the usefulness of the Hardy-Weinberg model to population geneticists.
8. List the conditions a population must meet in order to maintain Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
9. Explain how genetic drift, gene flow, mutation, nonrandom mating and natural selection can cause microevolution.
10. Explain the role of population size in genetic drift.
11. Distinguish between the bottleneck effect and the founder effect.
12. Explain why mutation has little quantitative effect on a large population.
13. Describe how inbreeding and assortative mating affect a population's allele frequencies and genotype frequencies.
14. Explain, in their own words, what is meant by the statement that natural selection is the only agent of microevolution which is adaptive.
15. Describe the technique of electrophoresis and explain how it has been used to measure genetic variation within and between populations.
16. List some factors that can produce geographical variation among closely related populations.
17. Explain why even though mutation can be a source of genetic variability, it contributes a negligible amount to genetic variation in a population.
18. Give the cause of nearly all genetic variation in a population.
19. Explain how genetic variation may be preserved in a natural population.
20. In their own words, briefly describe the neutral theory of molecular evolution and explain how changes in gene frequency may be nonadaptive.
21. Explain what is meant by "selfish" DNA.
22. Explain the concept of relative fitness and its role in adaptive evolution.
23. Explain why the rate of decline for a deleterious allele depends upon whether the allele is dominant or recessive to the more successful allele.
24. Describe what selection acts on and what factors contribute to the overall fitness of a genotype.
25. Give examples of how an organism's phenotype may be influenced by the environment
26. Distinguish among stabilizing selection, directional selection and diversifying selection.
27. Define sexual dimorphism and explain how it can influence evolutionary change.
28. Give at least four reasons why natural selection cannot breed perfect organisms.