Genes vs Jeans: Understanding Population Genetics

What is the result of a change in gene frequencies within a population?

Who is credited with describing natural selection and common ancestry?

What is the basis for the passing of traits from one generation to the next?

What stimulated extensive research in genetics during the 20th century?

What branch of biology combines the work of Mendel and Darwin?

What is the primary source of variation required for natural selection?

What is the function of the protein tyrosinase in rabbits?

What is the term for a segment of DNA that codes for a protein?

What is the effect of a recessive allele on the production of melanin in rabbits?

What is the term for an individual that has two different alleles of a gene?

What is the main difference between environmental effects on gene expression and allelic variations in genes?

What is the primary goal of population genetics?

What is the relationship between genes and traits?

What is the role of alleles in determining traits?

What would likely happen to the rabbit's fur coloration if it developed in the arctic?

Genes vs. Jeans

Genes are the basis for the passing of traits from one generation to the next, while jeans are a type of clothing that can be changed frequently.

Evolution and Population Genetics

Evolution is a change in gene frequencies within a population.
Population genetics combines the ideas of Darwin and Mendel to explore how evolution works.

Genes and Alleles

A gene is a segment of DNA that codes for a protein.
Proteins determine traits, and changes in genes (mutations) cause changes in proteins, which produce variation in traits.
Genes often have different forms, known as alleles.
Alleles are responsible for the variation in traits.

Gene Expression and Environment

The environment can influence the expression of a gene, but this influence is not goal-directed and does not result in heritable change.
Environmental factors can affect the expression of some genes, but variations induced by the environment are not heritable (unless environmental factors mutate DNA).

Types of Alleles

Dominant alleles can mask the effects of recessive alleles.
Recessive alleles can cause changes in traits, such as albinism.

Rabbit Fur Coloration

The gene for the enzyme tyrosinase controls the production of melanin, which determines fur color in rabbits.
Different alleles of the tyrosinase gene can result in different fur colors, such as brown or albino.
Temperature can affect the expression of the tyrosinase gene, resulting in variations in fur color.

Heritable Variation

Heritable variations are determined by the variety of alleles, or different forms of genes, which build proteins.
Genes and their alleles are the sources of heritable variations in traits.

Learn about the difference between genes and jeans, and discover how genes impact the passing of traits from one generation to the next. Explore population genetics and the concept of evolution.