Gene interaction

Gene frequency, also known as allele frequency, is a fundamental concept in the field of genetics. It refers to the relative frequency of an allele (variant of a gene) in a population.

Definition

Gene frequency is defined as the proportion of all alleles at a given locus in a population gene pool represented by a specific allele. It is usually expressed as a percentage or a decimal fraction. For example, if an allele occurs 20 times in a gene pool of 100 alleles, its gene frequency is 20%.

Calculation

The gene frequency of an allele can be calculated by dividing the number of copies of that allele by the total number of all alleles for that gene in the population. This calculation assumes that the population is large enough to be statistically representative.

Importance

Gene frequency is a crucial parameter in population genetics. It provides insights into the genetic diversity of a population and can help predict how that population may evolve over time. Changes in gene frequency over time can indicate natural selection, genetic drift, gene flow, or mutation.

Factors Influencing Gene Frequency

Several factors can influence gene frequency, including:

• Natural selection: Alleles that confer a survival or reproductive advantage tend to increase in frequency over time.
• Mutation: New alleles can be introduced into a population through mutation, altering gene frequencies.
• Gene flow: The movement of individuals (and their genes) into or out of a population can change gene frequencies.
• Genetic drift: In small populations, gene frequencies can change dramatically due to chance alone.

See Also

• Hardy-Weinberg principle
• Genetic variation
• Evolution