4. Neutral Evolution: Genetic Drift
Edward P. Bass Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
This lecture introduces the theory of neutral evolution, examining how genetic drift, independent of natural selection, influences gene frequencies. It details mechanisms of neutral mutations and their application as a molecular clock for phylogenetic analysis.
Principles of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior (EEB 122)
Neutral evolution occurs when genes do not experience natural selection because they have no effect on reproductive success. Neutrality arises when mutations in an organism's genotype cause no change in its phenotype, or when changes in the genotype bring about changes in the phenotype that do not affect reproductive success. Because neutral genes do not change in any particular direction over time and simply "drift," thanks in part to the randomness of meiosis, they can be used as a sort of molecular clock to determine common ancestors or places in the phylogenetic tree of life.
3. Adaptive Evolution: Natural Selection
Next · Lecture 55. How Selection Changes the Genetic Composition of Population
Seminar notes & discussion
No public seminar notes on this lecture yet.