REPORT BIO Microevolution

MICROEVOLUTION – A change of allele
frequencies in a population over a short time.

The basis for all large-scale or macroevolution.
The Process of Microevolution
To fully appreciate evolution, we need to look not

just at the outcomes but also at the processes that
created those outcomes.
Microevolution: change in allele frequency

Macroevolution: formation of new species
The environment selects the best traits in the form
of alleles that are advantageous for the given
conditions
i.e. the ability to digest a new food, or a new skin
pigment may allow an organism to blend in with its
environment
Genotype = genetic make-up, what alleles an

organism has
Phenotype = appearance, what it looks like
Case 1: English Pepper Moth
Case 2: Mystery Predator
The common denominator in each of these cases is

the change in the alleles of a given gene or set of
genes
If there is a change in the frequency of the allele(s),

then there will be a change in the genotype and
phenotype of the population
English Peppered Moth
Before industrial revolution After industrial revolution
The two frog
populations now have
different environmental
pressures.
There are many
different alleles in a
population but a frog
can only have two.
These two frogs have
different alleles for
coloration.
Five Agents of Change that can alter allele
Frequencies:
 Mutation
 Gene flow
 Genetic drift
 Non-random mating
 Natural selection
Any permanent alterations in the makeup of
DNA.
 They must be heritable
 Base pair, deletion, translocation, etc.
 Most do nothing, a few are harmful, rarely are they
beneficial.
 These mutations are not working to further survival
and reproduction.
 These mutations are not likely to account for a change
in allele frequency.
 These good mutations bring new genetic information
into the genetic pool.
A change in allele frequency that can occur when
mating with members from another population
occurs.
 The movement of genes from one population to

another.
 Alleles are lost from a population when individuals

leave (emigrate). Alleles enter a population when
new individuals move in (immigrate)
Gene flow
The ranges of the Bullock's and Baltimore orioles. The

species overlap in a hybrid zone, where gene flow occurs.
The movement of
individuals from one
population into the
territory of another.
Plants migrate, too.

The chance alteration of allele frequencies in a
population, with such alterations having
greatest impact on small populations.
Bottleneck effect
Founder’s effect
A small sample of alleles is likely to yield a

gene pool that is different from the
distribution found in the larger population.
If there is a drastic change (disease, migration or natural
catastrophe) in the survival of a large population, there is little
change in the frequency of that population's alleles. In a
smaller population, drastic change can result in loss of an
entire allele.
Genetic drift is most powerfully felt in small
populations.
The founder effect and the bottleneck effect are two

examples where genetic drift changes allele frequency
in a population.
Bottleneck effect – The change in allele frequency in a

population due to chance following a sharp reduction in
the population size.
Founder effect – When a small portion of a population

migrates to another area, starting a new population.
A bottleneck is a severe reduction in a population brought about by intense
selection pressure or some natural calamity.
The population is regenerated by means of the few individuals left.
The genetic diversity is greatly diminished compared to the original

population.
Cheetahs survived a drastic bottleneck
in the nineteenth century.
The founder effect occurs when a small group becomes
isolated from its larger population.
The new group will likely have a different allele frequency

than the parent group it originated from.
Example: Mutiny on the Bounty
This Native American woman, like

all Native Americans, is a
descendant of people who
crossed the Bering Strait into
Alaska over 10,000 years ago. No
Native Americans have type B
blood, apparently by chance,
none of the emigrants had this
blood type.
Mating in which a given member of a population
is not equally likely to mate with any other given
member.
Sexual selection is a form of nonrandom mating.

This is mating based on phenotype, based on the
choices made by the female of the species.
The male will increase the proportion of his

alleles in the next generation.
A process in which the differential adaptation of
organisms to their environment selects those
traits that will be passed on with greater
frequency from one generation to the next.
Traits of those who are more successful in

reproducing will become more widespread in a
population, the alleles that bring about these
traits will increase in frequency from one
generation to the next.
Artificial selection:
Humans choose traits
they prefer in animals
or crops and breed to
achieve those
“desirable” individuals.
Natural selection is the only one of the five
agents of microevolution that consistently works
to adapt organisms to their environment.
 Genetic drift is random

 Mutation has a negative effect, or no effect
 Gene flow doesn’t necessarily bring in genes that
are better suited to the environment
 Non random mating doesn’t have anything to do
with matching individuals to environment
The success of an organism in passing on its genes to
offspring, relative to the other members of its
population.
The allele frequencies will increase.
Also known as “survival of the fittest”
1. Large cactus finch (Geospiza
conirostris)
2. Large ground finch (Geospiza
magnirostris)
3. Medium ground finch (Geospiza
fortis)
4. Cactus finch (Geospiza scandens)
5. Sharp-beaked ground finch
(Geospiza difficilis)
6. Small ground finch (Geospiza
fuliginosa)
7. Woodpecker finch (Cactospiza
pallida)
8. Vegetarian tree finch (Platyspiza
crassirostris)
9. Medium tree finch
(Camarhynchus pauper)
10. Large tree finch (Camarhynchus
psittacula)
11. Small tree finch (Camarhynchus
parvulus)
12. Warbler finch (Certhidia
olivacea)
13. Mangrove finch (Cactospiza
heliobates)
When natural selection operates on characters that
are polygenic and continuously variable, it can
proceed in one of three ways.
Does natural selection favor what is average or what is
extreme?
Intermediate forms are favored
over extreme forms.
Human baby birth weight.
Infant deaths are higher at the
extremes of birth weight,
children most likely to survive
have an average birth weight.
Natural selection is working to
make average birth weights more
common
When natural selection moves a
character towards one of its
extremes.
Smoothness of brachiopod shells
took 10 million years to achieve.
When natural selection moves a
character to both its extremes.
Occurs much less frequently in
nature.
Finches in West Africa
When food is scarce, large-
billed birds specialize in
cracking a large seed.
Small-billed birds feed on
soft varieties of seed.
A bird with an intermediate
sized bill would get less
food and not survive.
...Thank You! 

REPORT BIO Microevolution

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MICROEVOLUTION – A change of allele

frequencies in a population over a short time.

The Process of Microevolution

To fully appreciate evolution, we need to look not

Microevolution: change in allele frequency

Genotype = genetic make-up, what alleles an

The common denominator in each of these cases is

If there is a change in the frequency of the allele(s),

 The movement of genes from one population to

 Alleles are lost from a population when individuals

The ranges of the Bullock's and Baltimore orioles. The

Plants migrate, too.

A small sample of alleles is likely to yield a

The founder effect and the bottleneck effect are two

Bottleneck effect – The change in allele frequency in a

Founder effect – When a small portion of a population

The population is regenerated by means of the few individuals left.

The genetic diversity is greatly diminished compared to the original

The new group will likely have a different allele frequency

Example: Mutiny on the Bounty

This Native American woman, like

Sexual selection is a form of nonrandom mating.

The male will increase the proportion of his

Traits of those who are more successful in

 Genetic drift is random

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