Download Evolution Acts on the Phenotype

Evolution Acts on the
Phenotype
Jessica Harwood
Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D.
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AUTHORS
Jessica Harwood
Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D.
EDITOR
Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D.
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Printed: November 23, 2015
CONTRIBUTORS
Doris Kraus, Ph.D.
Niamh Gray-Wilson
Jean Brainard, Ph.D.
Sarah Johnson
Jane Willan
Corliss Karasov
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C HAPTER
Chapter 1. Evolution Acts on the Phenotype
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Evolution Acts on the
Phenotype
• Define carrier.
• Explain how an unfavorable allele is kept in the gene pool.
Would albinism be an advantage?
This rabbit is albino, meaning it lacks pigment in its skin, fur, and eyes. The same thing happens in other species,
including humans. To most animals albinism would be a disadvantage since they need to blend into their environment
to avoid predators or catch prey. How, then, does the gene that causes albinism stay in the gene pool?
Evolution Acts on the Phenotype
Natural selection acts on the phenotype (the traits or characteristics) of an individual. On the other hand, natural
selection does not act on the underlying genotype (the genetic makeup) of an individual. For many traits, the
homozygous genotype, AA, for example, has the same phenotype as the heterozygous Aa genotype. If both an AA
and Aa individual have the same phenotype, the environment cannot distinguish between them. So natural selection
cannot select for a homozygous individual over a heterozygous individual. Even if the "aa" phenotype is lethal,
the recessive a allele, will be maintained in the population through heterozygous Aa individuals. Furthermore,
the mating of two heterozygous individuals can produce homozygous recessive (aa) individuals. However, natural
selection can and does differentiate between dominant and recessive phenotypes.
Carriers
Since natural selection acts on the phenotype, if an allele causes death in a homozygous individual, aa, for example,
it will not cause death in a heterozygous Aa individual. These heterozygous Aa individuals will then act as carriers
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of the a allele, meaning that the a allele could be passed down to offspring. People who are carriers do not express
the recessive phenotype, as they have a dominant allele. This allele is said to be kept in the population’s gene pool.
The gene pool is the complete set of genes and alleles within a population.
For example, Tay-Sachs disease is a recessive human genetic disorder. That means only individuals with the
homozygous recessive genotype, rr will be affected. Affected individuals usually die from complications of the
disease in early childhood, at an age too young to reproduce. The two parents are each heterozygous (Rr) for the
Tay-Sachs gene; they will not die in childhood and will be carriers of the disease gene. This deadly allele is kept in
the gene pool even though it does not help humans adapt to their environment. This happens because evolution acts
on the phenotype, not the genotype ( Figure 1.1).
FIGURE 1.1
Tay-Sachs disease is inherited in the autosomal recessive pattern. Each parent is
an unaffected carrier of the lethal allele.
Summary
• Natural selection acts on the phenotype (the traits or characteristics) of an individual, not on the underlying
genotype.
• Carriers of a trait can show no symptoms of a recessive disease and, yet, still pass it on to their offspring.
Explore More
Use the resource below to answer the questions that follow.
• Harmful Genes at http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/mole00/mole00460.htm .
1. What would happen if a harmful gene were dominant?
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Chapter 1. Evolution Acts on the Phenotype
2. Give an example of a harmful recessive gene that provides carriers with an advantage.
3. How can a harmful gene "hide"?
Review
1. What’s the difference between phenotype and genotype?
2. Does natural selection act on the genotype or phenotype?
3. Explain how a lethal recessive gene can stay in the gene pool.
References
1. Zachary Wilson. Tay-Sachs disease, with autosomal recessive inheritance . CC BY-NC 3.0
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