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Genetic Drift

Genetic Drift

Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).

What is Natural Selection?

What is Natural Selection?

Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

Convergent Evolution

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 28, 2025

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

Adaptive cellular evolution or cellular system drift in hares.

Arnar Palsson¹, Sarah Elizabeth Steele¹

¹Institute of Life and Environmental Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.

Molecular Ecology

|June 1, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular metabolism in animals is not static. A new study reveals that core cellular functions can diverge between closely related species, challenging long-held assumptions about evolutionary constraints.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Cellular and metabolic systems

Background:

Adaptations occur across multiple biological levels, from DNA to physiology.
Core cellular and metabolic systems in animals are often assumed to be conserved.
The impact of evolution on core cellular metabolism remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether core cellular functions in animals are highly constrained or subject to evolutionary change.
To explore the potential for cellular system drift or positive selection in shaping metabolic traits.
To examine evolutionary divergence in cellular metabolism between closely related, ecologically distinct species.

Main Methods:

Utilized fibroblasts from brown hares (Lepus europaeus) and mountain hares (Lepus timidus).
Compared cellular and metabolic traits between these two closely related species with different ecological niches.
Applied molecular and physiological analyses to assess cellular function.

Main Results:

Identified significant differences in core cellular and metabolic traits between brown and mountain hares.
Demonstrated that evolutionary forces can indeed shape fundamental cellular functions.
Provided evidence for divergence in cellular systems despite close phylogenetic relationship.

Conclusions:

Core cellular metabolism in animals is not entirely static and can evolve.
Ecological divergence can drive evolutionary changes in cellular physiology.
Findings challenge the assumption of universal conservation of core cellular functions in closely related species.