Question

Natural selection tends to reduce genetic variation within a population by disfavouring particular alleles. However, in some situations selection can help maintain genetic variation rather than erode it. Explain how this can happen using an example.

Answer 1

ANSWER ) Selection occurs in response to a specific environmental factor. It is a central topic of population and evolutionary biology. The consequence of natural selection on the genetic structure and evolution of organisms is complicated. Natural selection can decrease the genetic variation in populations of organisms by selecting for or against a specific gene or gene combination (leading to directional selection). It can increase the genetic variation in populations by selecting for or against several genes or gene combinations (leading to disruptive se​lection or balancing​ selection).

A well-studied Example is the  case of sickle cell anemia in humans, a hereditary disease that damages red blood cells. Sickle cell anemia is caused by the inheritance of an allele (HgbS) of the hemoglobin gene from both parents. In such individuals, the hemoglobin in red blood cells is extremely sensitive to oxygen deprivation, which results in shorter life expectancy. A person who inherits the sickle cell gene from one parent and a normal hemoglobin allele (HgbA) from the other, has a normal life expectancy. However, these heterozygote individuals, known as carriers of the sickle cell trait, may suffer problems from time to time. The heterozygote is resistant to the malarial parasite which kills a large number of people each year. This is an example of balancing selection between the fierce selection against homozygous sickle-cell sufferers, and the selection against the standard HgbA homozygotes by malaria. The heterozygote has a permanent advantage (a higher fitness) wherever malaria exists. Maintenance of the HgbS allele through positive selection is supported by significant evidence that heterozygotes have decreased fitness in regions where malaria is not prevalent. In Surinam, for example, the allele is maintained in the gene pools of descendants of African slaves, as the Surinam suffers from perennial malaria outbreaks. Curacao, however, which also has a significant population of individuals descending from African slaves, lacks the presence of widespread malaria, and therefore also lacks the selective pressure to maintain the HgbS allele. In Curacao, the HgbS allele has decreased in frequency over the past 300 years, and will eventually be lost from the gene pool due to heterozygote disadvantage