Show
Recommended textbook solutionsBiology1st EditionKenneth R. Miller, Levine 2,470 solutions Glencoe Health1st EditionMcGraw-Hill Education 1,843 solutions Miller and Levine Biology1st EditionJoseph S. Levine, Kenneth R. Miller 1,773 solutions Biology Study Workbook A1st EditionKenneth R. Miller, Levine 2,875 solutions LoginGene FlowBlaine MaleyLAST REVIEWED: 03 May 2021LAST MODIFIED: 28 July 2015DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199766567-0057IntroductionGene flow is a term that describes mechanisms of gene transfer from one population to another. In anthropology, gene flow more generally refers to allelic change due to movement of individuals from one place to another. Referencing the specific context of transferring genetic variation between populations, gene flow is often used interchangeably with migration, although migration also includes population movement into unoccupied regions, which according to some sources is not considered gene flow. Gene flow is one of the primary mechanisms of evolution, generally modeled along with genetic drift, mutation, and natural selection. A multifaceted evolutionary force, gene flow is often considered to work in opposition to the other evolutionary forces (although this is context dependent), maintaining genetic and phenotypic homogeneity across subpopulations within taxa. As genetic drift functions to push alleles toward fixation, especially in small populations, gene flow works to prevent fixation and to maintain heterozygosity (the presence of multiple alleles at a loci in the defined population). In this way it is the balance of gene flow and genetic drift that dictates a population’s ability to maintain genetic variation. The importance of gene flow as an evolutionary force becomes powerful when it is limited, and limiting of gene flow between taxa or demes is accomplished through the construction of barriers to mating or through isolation mechanisms (generally constrained to geographic and reproductive barriers). Mechanistically, gene flow can be quantified to model heterozygosity changes in populations due to the number of migrants, variability of migrants—how deviant are their gene pools relative to the assuming population (usually a function of distance or time), and the impact of the other evolutionary forces. A number of population genetic models have been developed to model the role of gene flow in managing population structure between populations and across geography. These models help anthropologists and biologists understand and quantify migration in human and primate populations, including the processes by which these populations expand, interbreed, and evolve. General OverviewsEvery introductory textbook in biology and evolution discusses gene flow as an evolutionary force; see Zimmer and Emlen 2013 for a good example. Most of the work in anthropology that examines gene flow is on the genetic origin and history of modern humans, which has resulted in the current geographical spread of human variation across the globe. Several good textbooks on human variation are available, including Relethford 2005; Molnar 2005; and Mielke, et al. 2011. In addition, several general-audience-oriented books that discuss the history and spread of modern humans are accessible, including Cavalli-Sforza 2000 and Olson 2002. Cabana and Clark 2011 provides a useful general overview of the question of migration in human anthropology studies, by using a multiple-subfield approach. The topic of gene flow is strongly interrelated with more-general discussions of evolutionary theory; however, several review articles, including Wijsman and Cavalli-Sforza 1984, Slatkin 1985, and Slatkin 1987, address in detail the importance of gene flow in evolutionary theory and population genetic studies.
back to top Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login. How to SubscribeOxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. ArticleUp
Down What refers to any movement of genes from one population to another?Gene flow — also called migration — is any movement of individuals, and/or the genetic material they carry, from one population to another.
What term describes the movement of genes from one species to a different species Group of answer choices?gene flow, also called gene migration, the introduction of genetic material (by interbreeding) from one population of a species to another, thereby changing the composition of the gene pool of the receiving population.
What is the movement of genes called?Gene flow is the movement of genes into or out of a population. Such movement may be due to migration of individual organisms that reproduce in their new populations, or to the movement of gametes (e.g., as a consequence of pollen transfer among plants).
What is the term used to describe the movement of DNA from one species to another?horizontal gene transfer, also called lateral gene transfer, the transmission of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) between different genomes.
|