Evolutionary landscapeAn evolutionary landscape is a metaphor or a construct used to think about and visualize the processes of evolution (e.g. natural selection and genetic drift) acting on a biological entity (e.g. a gene, protein, population, or species). This entity can be viewed as searching or moving through a search space. For example, the search space of a gene would be all possible nucleotide sequences. The search space is only part of an evolutionary landscape. The final component is the "y-axis", which is usually fitness.
Journal of Theoretical BiologyThe Journal of Theoretical Biology is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering theoretical biology, as well as mathematical, computational, and statistical aspects of biology. Some research areas covered by the journal include cell biology, evolutionary biology, population genetics, morphogenesis, and immunology. The journal was established in 1961. Its founding editor-in-chief was English biologist James F. Danielli, who remained editor until his death in 1984.
Coefficient of relationshipThe coefficient of relationship is a measure of the degree of consanguinity (or biological relationship) between two individuals. The term coefficient of relationship was defined by Sewall Wright in 1922, and was derived from his definition of the coefficient of inbreeding of 1921. The measure is most commonly used in genetics and genealogy. A coefficient of inbreeding can be calculated for an individual, and is typically one-half the coefficient of relationship between the parents.
Background selectionBackground selection describes the loss of genetic diversity at a non-deleterious locus due to negative selection against linked deleterious alleles. It is one form of linked selection, where the maintenance or removal of an allele from a population is dependent upon the alleles in its linkage group. The name emphasizes the fact that the genetic background, or genomic environment, of a neutral mutation has a significant impact on whether it will be preserved (genetic hitchhiking) or purged (background selection) from a population.
Mutation neutreUne mutation neutre correspond à un changement dans la séquence d'ADN qui n'est ni bénéfique ni préjudiciable à la survie et la reproduction de l'organisme qui l'exprime. En génétique des populations, les mutations pour lesquelles la sélection naturelle n'affecte pas la propagation de celles-ci au sein d'une espèce sont appelées mutations neutres. Les mutations neutres qui sont héritables et ne sont pas liées à des gènes sélectionnés seront soit perdues, soit remplacées par d'autres allèles du gène concerné.
GeneticistA geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic processes or develop genetic technologies to aid in the pharmaceutical or and agriculture industries. Some geneticists perform experiments in model organisms such as Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish, rodents or humans and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of biological traits.
Accouplement assortatifL'accouplement assortatif (également appelé accouplement assortatif positif ou homogamie ) est une stratégie d'accouplement et une forme de sélection sexuelle dans lesquels des individus ayant des phénotypes similaires s'accouplent plus fréquemment que ce qui pourrait être attendu dans un modèle d'accouplement aléatoire. Quelques exemples de phénotypes similaires sont la taille du corps ou la coloration ou la pigmentation de la peau. L'accouplement assortatif peut augmenter la parenté génétique au sein de la famille et est l'inverse de l'accouplement désassortatif.
Nucleotide diversityNucleotide diversity is a concept in molecular genetics which is used to measure the degree of polymorphism within a population. One commonly used measure of nucleotide diversity was first introduced by Nei and Li in 1979. This measure is defined as the average number of nucleotide differences per site between two DNA sequences in all possible pairs in the sample population, and is denoted by .
Industrial melanismIndustrial melanism is an evolutionary effect prominent in several arthropods, where dark pigmentation (melanism) has evolved in an environment affected by industrial pollution, including sulphur dioxide gas and dark soot deposits. Sulphur dioxide kills lichens, leaving tree bark bare where in clean areas it is boldly patterned, while soot darkens bark and other surfaces. Darker pigmented individuals have a higher fitness in those areas as their camouflage matches the polluted background better; they are thus favoured by natural selection.
Genetics and the Origin of SpeciesGenetics and the Origin of Species is a 1937 book by the Ukrainian-American evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky. It is regarded as one of the most important works of modern synthesis and was one of the earliest. The book popularized the work of population genetics to other biologists and influenced their appreciation for the genetic basis of evolution. In his book, Dobzhansky applied the theoretical work of Sewall Wright (1889–1988) to the study of natural populations, allowing him to address evolutionary problems in a novel way during his time.
