Mitochondrial genes (2 of 2)

Nuclear DNA is inherited from all ancestors. Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from a single lineage.

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Mechanisms of evolution (4 of 4) Natural selection

Imagine that green beetles are easier for birds to spot (and hence, eat). Brown beetles are a little more likely to survive to produce offspring. They pass their genes for…

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Mechanisms of evolution (3 of 4) Genetic drift

Imagine that in one generation, two brown beetles happened to have four offspring survive to reproduce. Several green beetles were killed when someone stepped on them and had no offspring.…

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Mechanisms of evolution (2 of 4) Migration

Some individuals from a population of brown beetles might have joined a population of green beetles. That would make the genes for brown beetles more frequent in the green beetle…

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Mechanisms of evolution (1 of 4) Mutation

A mutation could cause parents with genes for bright green coloration to have offspring with a gene for brown coloration. That would make the genes for brown beetles more frequent…

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