Overview
Balancing selection is a crucial mechanism in evolutionary biology that helps maintain genetic diversity within populations. By favoring heterozygous individuals, it ensures that certain advantageous traits persist, even in the face of potential disadvantages. This process is particularly important ...
Key Terms
Example: A person with one normal hemoglobin allele and one sickle cell allele.
Example: A person with two normal hemoglobin alleles.
Example: The gene for flower color can have a red allele and a white allele.
Example: Giraffes with longer necks can reach higher leaves.
Example: A natural disaster that randomly kills a portion of a population.
Example: A mutation in a gene can lead to a new trait.
Related Topics
Genetic Drift
The random changes in allele frequencies that can affect genetic diversity.
intermediateNatural Selection
The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce.
intermediatePopulation Genetics
The study of genetic variation within populations and how it changes over time.
advancedKey Concepts
Heterozygote AdvantageGenetic DiversityNatural SelectionPopulation Genetics