What are the 5 sources of variation in a population?

Genetic variation can be caused by mutation (which can create entirely new alleles in a population), random mating, random fertilization, and recombination between homologous chromosomes during meiosis (which reshuffles alleles within an organism’s offspring).

What are the 2 main sources of natural variation?

Natural selection acts upon two major sources of genetic variation: mutations and recombination of genes through sexual reproduction. Most mutations do not affect the reproductive fitness of individuals — some may be beneficial, some may be harmful, and many may be neutral. Mutation rates per gene are generally low.

What causes natural variation in a population?

What is the greatest source of variation in a population?

recombination
Although mutation is the only way of producing new variants of single genes, recombination, brought about through sexual reproduction, produces more new types of individuals much faster than mutation. In eukaryotic organisms, therefore, recombination is the greatest source of variation.

Which is a source of genetic variation?

A single mutation can have a large effect, but in many cases, evolutionary change is based on the accumulation of many mutations. Gene flow is any movement of genes from one population to another and is an important source of genetic variation. Sex can introduce new gene combinations into a population.

How is geographic variation caused by natural selection?

Geographic variation means genetic differences in populations from different locations. This is caused by natural selection or genetic drift.

How often does genetic variation occur in a population?

Many factors act to increase or maintain the amount of genetic variation in a population. One of these is mutation, which is in fact the ultimate source of all variation. However, mutations do not occur very frequently, only at a rate of approximately one mutation per 100,000 to 1,000,000 genetic loci per generation.

Why are mutations an important source of genetic variation?

The mutation of genes is an important source of genetic variation within a population. Mutations can be random (for example, when replicating cells make an error while copying DNA), or happen as a result of exposure to something in the environment, like harmful chemicals or radiation.