Chapter 22 Population Genetics

1. Population genetics is the field of genetics that studies heredity in groups of individuals for traits that are determined by one, or only a few genes. (Polygenic traits, determined by combinations of many genes, are discussed in the next chapter, Quantitative Genetics.) 2. Both Population and Quantitative Genetics use Mendelian principles, and both are amenable to mathematical treatment. 3. These areas of genetics have been important in the fusion of Mendelian theory with Darwinian theory to create the neo-Darwinian synthesis that underlies much of current biological thinking (Figure 22.1). 4. Population geneticists study the genetic structure of populations, and how they change geographically and over time. 5. A Mendelian population is a group of interbreeding individuals who share a common set of genes. The total of all alleles in the population constitutes the gene pool. 6. Modern molecular biology techniques have allowed for rapid advancement in population genetics. 7. Mathematical models are often developed in population genetics. The Hardy-Weinberg law is a major example