Chapter 2: Microevolution and Speciation

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

• Explain the historical development of evolutionary theory, including the role of Mendel’s work and the integration of genetics into the modern synthesis.
• Define population genetics and describe how allele frequencies are used to measure evolutionary change within a population over time.
• Identify and differentiate the sources of genetic variation—including mutation and sexual reproduction—and explain their impact on genetic diversity and fitness.
• Apply the Hardy-Weinberg principle to calculate genotype and allele frequencies.
• Interpret real-world examples of microevolution by analyzing shifts in allele frequencies and predicting genotype distributions using Hardy-Weinberg equations.
• Evaluate how genetic structure and reproductive isolation contribute to the formation of new species, emphasizing the importance of both prezygotic and postzygotic barriers.