Interesting facts about evolution May 25, 2019
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Started by metmike - May 24, 2019, 11:31 p.m.

A pair of parents would have to have 1,000,000,000,000,000 (a quadrillion) babies before they possibly might have a child with the same genes as any of their other children. This genetic variation between individuals is the key to how species have evolved.

Genetic variation

https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_17


Without genetic variation, some of the basic mechanisms of evolutionary change cannot operate.

There are three primary sources of genetic variation, which we will learn more about:  

  1. Mutations are changes in the DNA. A single mutation    can have a large effect, but in many cases, evolutionary change is    based on the accumulation of many mutations.
      
  2. Gene flow is any movement    of genes from one population to another and is an important source    of genetic variation.
      
  3. Sex can introduce new gene combinations into a population. This    genetic shuffling is another important source of genetic variation.
Genetic shuffling
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By metmike - May 24, 2019, 11:35 p.m.
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Mutations happen for several reasons.

  1.   
  2. DNA fails to copy accurately
    Most of the mutations that we think matter to evolution are "naturally-occurring." For example, when a cell divides, it makes a copy of its DNA — and sometimes the copy is not quite perfect. That small difference from the original DNA sequence is a mutation.    
        
    Following cell division, the copied DNA is imperfect

    To download this image, right-click (Windows) or control-click (Mac) on the image and select "Save image."
      
  3.           
  4. External influences can create mutations
    Radioactive signMutations can also be caused by exposure to specific chemicals or radiation. These agents cause the DNA to break down. This is not necessarily unnatural — even in the most isolated and pristine environments, DNA breaks down. Nevertheless, when the cell repairs the DNA, it might not do a perfect job of the repair. So the cell would end up with DNA slightly different than the original DNA and hence, a mutatio
By metmike - May 24, 2019, 11:36 p.m.
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Gene flow

Gene flow — also called migration — is any movement of individuals, and/or the genetic material they carry, from one population to another. Gene flow includes lots of different kinds of events, such as pollen being blown to a new destination or people moving to new cities or countries. If gene versions are carried to a population where those gene versions previously did not exist, gene flow can be a very important source of genetic variation. In the graphic below, the gene version for brown coloration moves from one population to another.

Gene flow in beetle populations

By metmike - May 24, 2019, 11:36 p.m.
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Sex and genetic shuffling


Shuffling of   gene combinations
 

 Sex can introduce new gene combinations into a population and is an important source of genetic variation. 

You probably know from experience that siblings are not genetically identical to their parents or to each other (except, of course, for identical twins). That's because when organisms reproduce sexually, some genetic "shuffling" occurs, bringing together new combinations of genes. For example, you might have bushy eyebrows and a big nose since your mom had genes associated with bushy eyebrows and your dad had genes associated with a big nose. These combinations can be good, bad, or neutral. If your spouse is wild about the bushy eyebrows/big nose combination, you were lucky and hit on a winning combination!