Ecology Test 1 Multiple Choice

directional selection is a mode of natural selection in which an extreme phenotype is favored over other phenotypes, causing the allele frequency to shift over time in the direction of that phenotype.

founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population.

describes the ability to both survive and reproduce, and is equal to the average contribution to the gene pool of the next generation that is made by an average individual of the specified genotype or phenotype. If differences between alleles of a given gene affect fitness, then the frequencies of the alleles will change over generations; the alleles with higher fitness become more common. This process is called natural selection.

• Disruptive Selection
• Stabilizing Selection
• Directional Selection

fitness