Gene pool

In population genetics, a gene pool is the complete set of unique alleles in a species or population.

Description

A large gene pool indicates extensive genetic diversity, which is associated with robust populations that can survive bouts of intense selection. Meanwhile, low genetic diversity (see inbreeding and population bottlenecks) can cause reduced biological fitness and an increased chance of extinction.

When all individuals in a population are identical with regard to a particular phenotypic trait they are known as monomorphic. When the individuals show several variants of a particular trait they are said to be polymorphic.

See also

• Biodiversity
• Conservation biology
• Founder effect
• Genetic drift
• Gene flow
• Small population size

External links

• The Gene Pool and Speciation - from Biology Online, Retrieved August 20, 2008.