The gene pool is the total number of alleles shared among a species’ breeding population. A larger gene pool reflects diversity, which encourages robustness. Factors affecting gene pool size include the number of organisms and relationships between them. Gene pools are important for breeders and conservationists, and fruit flies are often used in genetic research.
The gene pool is a reflection of the total number of alleles shared among the breeding population of a species. An allele is a form of a gene: for example, the gene that codes for eye color in humans includes alleles for blue, green, brown, and hazel eyes, among others. People can refer to the gene pool for a specific gene, such as hair color, or for a species as a whole.
As a general rule, the larger the gene pool, the better things are for a species, because it reflects diversity. Diversity tends to encourage robustness. When a population is not very diverse, negative alleles can amplify, which can be dangerous to the population in the long run. For example, in an animal species in which many animals have an allele that weakens leg bones, future generations will be more likely to have weak legs, whereas in a diverse population in which only a few individuals have this allele, fewer animals will have this problem in the future because there are fewer individuals to pass it on to.
Many things can affect the size of a gene pool. The overall number of organisms is important, as are the relationships between organisms. The more total representatives of a species, the higher the chance for diversity, and the fewer direct genetic relationships between animals, the lower the chance that negative alleles will be amplified due to inbreeding. Spontaneous mutations in a population can also increase the size of a gene pool, with some species notable for their high mutation rate.
Gene pools are interesting for a variety of reasons. Among ranchers and animal keepers, a diverse set of genes is desired to create a healthy population of breeding animals. This is an especially big concern for breeders who work with purebred animals, as purebreds tend to develop problems associated with inbreeding due to restrictions on animals allowed to breed. Conservationists also worry about gene selection, as endangered species can reach a critical mass point beyond which they will not survive as their populations decline and the gene pool becomes less diverse.
Researchers interested in the growth and shrinkage of gene pools often work with fruit flies, because they reproduce quickly and have long been used in the study of genetics. By working with carefully controlled populations of fruit flies, geneticists and other researchers can examine the impact of a variety of influences on a species’ genetic health.
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