Genetic drift is one of the four important factors affecting population genetic balance. Because its form of action is not as apparent as mutation, selection, and migration, which are intuitive and easy to understand, there are potential difficulties in understanding and mastering genetic drift. A particularly prominent problem is that the current introduction of genetic drift contents in textbooks is systematically insufficient. They are either even too rough, or completely neglecting the mathematical foundation such as the binomial theorem, resulting in long-term inadequate learning of genetic drift. In this paper, we summarize the five basic attributes of genetic drift, namely inherent, universal, random, non-directional, and regular features. Based on the concept that the genetic basis of genetic drift is the free combination of male and female gametes, we pointed out that the attribute of random sampling error is the inherent essential feature of genetic drift. Then step by step, from an extremely small population consisting of only one individual (N = 1), we deduced that the effect of genetic drift decreased while population size increased. Through introducing the mathematical model of the binomial theorem, the characteristics of the binomial distribution, and the results of computer simulations, the effect of genetic drift is visually and intuitively displayed to help the teaching the concept of genetic drift.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.16288/j.yczz.20-310 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Estimating the proportion of beneficial mutations that are not adaptive in mammals.
PLoS Genet
December 2024
Department of Computational Biology, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mutations can be beneficial by bringing innovation to their bearer, allowing them to adapt to environmental change. These mutations are typically unpredictable since they respond to an unforeseen change in the environment. However, mutations can also be beneficial because they are simply restoring a state of higher fitness that was lost due to genetic drift in a stable environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLevels and Spatial Patterns of Effective Population Sizes in the Southern Damselfly (): On the Need to Carefully Interpret Single-Point and Temporal Estimations to Set Conservation Guidelines.
Evol Appl
December 2024
Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8198-Evo-Eco-Paleo Lille France.
The effective population size ( ) is a key parameter in conservation and evolutionary biology, reflecting the strength of genetic drift and inbreeding. Although demographic estimations of are logistically and time-consuming, genetic methods have become more widely used due to increasing data availability. Nonetheless, accurately estimating remains challenging, with few studies comparing estimates across molecular markers types and estimators such as single-sample methods based on linkage disequilibrium or sibship analyses versus methods based on temporal variance in allele frequencies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbstractTheoretical studies from diverse areas of population biology have shown that demographic stochasticity can substantially impact evolutionary dynamics in finite populations, including scenarios where traits that are disfavored by natural selection can nevertheless increase in frequency through the course of evolution. Here, we analytically describe the eco-evolutionary dynamics of finite populations from demographic first principles. We investigate how noise-induced effects can alter the evolutionary fate of populations in which total population size may vary stochastically over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIsland ecosystems have emerged as vital model systems for evolutionary and speciation studies due to their unique environmental conditions and biodiversity. This study investigates the population divergence, hybridization dynamics, and evolutionary history of hybridizing golden-backed and red-backed flameback woodpeckers on the island of Sri Lanka, providing insights into speciation processes within an island biogeographic context. Utilizing genomic analysis based on next-generation sequencing, we revealed that the hybrid zone on this island is a complex three-way hybrid zone involving three genetically distinct populations: two cryptic populations of golden-backed in the north and one island-endemic red-backed population of in the south of Sri Lanka.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrift in small populations predicts mate availability and the breakdown of self-incompatibility in a clonal polyploid.
New Phytol
December 2024
Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA.
Mate limitation in small populations can reduce reproductive fitness, hinder population growth, and increase extinction risk. Mate limitation is exacerbated in self-incompatible (SI) taxa, where shared S-alleles further restrict mating. Theory suggests genetic drift as a predictor of mate limitation and the breakdown of SI systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!