Name and describe the five conditions that allow for microevolution (changing allele frequencies). The Five Conditions That Allow for Microevolution (Changing Allele Frequencies)

The Five Conditions That Allow for Microevolution (Changing Allele Frequencies)

Microevolution is the process of small, incremental changes in the traits of a species over a period of time. In order for microevolution to occur, five conditions must be met: genetic variation, population size, mutation, gene flow, and natural selection. Genetic Variation is the variation in genetic material that exists within a species. The more variation there is, the more likely it is that microevolution will occur. Without genetic variation, there would be no way for a species to change and evolve (Tucker 2020).
Population Size refers to the number of organisms in a species. A larger population size means that more individuals will be available for natural selection to act on, increasing the chances of microevolution (Baker et al. 2020). Mutations are changes in the DNA sequence of an organism that can be passed on to its offspring. These mutations can lead to new traits, which can then be acted on by natural selection and lead to microevolution (Lahn et al. 2021). Cont….