BIOL 1001 Chapter Notes -Ring Species, Body Plan, Meristem
Document Summary
Chapter 17: microevolution genetic changes within populations. Most individuals of a species look similar to each other however none are identical. Ie, differences in mass, length, physiology, internal anatomy. These are examples of phenotypic variation differences in appearance or function that are passed from generation to generation. 17. 1a evolutionary biologists describe and quantify phenotypic variation. Micro evolutionary studies often begin with assessing phenotypic variation within populations. 17. 1 b phenotypic variation can have genetic and environmental causes. Phenotypic variation within populations may be causes by: genetic differences between individuals, differences in the environmental factors the individual experiences interaction between genetics and the environment. Result is genetic and phenotypic variances may not be perfectly correlated. Different genotypes can exhibit the same phenotype. Same genotypes can exhibit diff. phenotypes (ie. flower colour determined by soil) Knowing why phenotypic variation is caused is important because: only genetically based variation is subject to evolutionary change how can we determine this, test for environmental cause experimentally.
