Lectures (Video)
- 1. The Nature of Evolution: Selection, Inheritance, and History
- 2. Basic Transmission Genetics
- 3. Adaptive Evolution: Natural Selection
- 4. Neutral Evolution: Genetic Drift
- 5. How Selection Changes the Genetic Composition of Population
- 6. The Origin and Maintenance of Genetic Variation
- 7. The Importance of Development in Evolution
- 8. The Expression of Variation: Reaction Norms
- 9. The Evolution of Sex
- 10. Genomic Conflict
- 11. Life History Evolution
- 12. Sex Allocation
- 13. Sexual Selection
- 14. Species and Speciation
- 15. Phylogeny and Systematics
- 16. Comparative Methods: Trees, Maps, and Traits
- 17. Key Events in Evolution
- 18. Major Events in the Geological Theatre
- 19. The Fossil Record and Life's History
- 20. Coevolution
- 21. Evolutionary Medicine
- 22. The Impact of Evolutionary Thought on the Social Sciences
- 23. The Logic of Science
- 24. Climate and the Distribution of Life on Earth
- 25. Interactions with the Physical Environment
- 26. Population Growth: Density Effects
- 27. Interspecific Competition
- 28. Ecological Communities
- 29. Island Biogeography and Invasive Species
- 30. Energy and Matter in Ecosystems
- 31. The Factors Affecting Biodiversity
- 32. Economic Decisions for the Foraging Individual
- 33. Evolutionary Game Theory: Fighting and Contests
- 34. Mating Systems and Parental Care
- 35. Alternative Breeding Strategies
- 36. Selfishness and Altruism
Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior - Lecture 6
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Lecture 6 - The Origin and Maintenance of Genetic Variation
Mutations are the origin of genetic diversity. Mutations introduce new traits, while selection eliminates most of the reproductively unsuccessful traits. Sexual recombination of alleles can also account for much of the genetic diversity in sexual species. In some instances, population size can affect diversity and rates of evolution and fixation, but in other cases population size does not matter.
Prof. Stephen C. Stearns
EEB 122: Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, Spring 2009 (Yale University: Open Yale) http://oyc.yale.edu Date accessed: 2009-11-18 License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA |