gene pool

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

• A large gene pool indicates extensive genetic diversity, which is associated with robust populations that can survive bouts of intense selection.
•   low genetic diversity  can cause reduced biological fitness and an increased chance of extinction,
• Gene pool centres refers to areas on the earth where important crop plants and domestic animals originated.They have an extraordinary range of the wild counterparts of cultivated plant species and useful tropical plants.
  

   

•  although as explained by genetic drift  ( Genetic drift or allelic drift is the change in the frequency of a gene variant (allele) in a population due to random sampling ) new genetic variants, that may cause an increase in the fitness of organisms, are more likely to fix in the population if it is rather small.

When all individuals in a population are identical with regard to a particular phenotypic ( biochemical or physiological properties) trait,

• the population is said to be monomorphic.
• When the individuals show several variants of a particular trait they are said to be polymorphic.

 Gene pool concept in crop breeding ( polyploidy)

Harlan and de Wet (1971) proposed classifying each crop and its related species by gene pools rather than by formal taxonomy.

Primary gene pool (GP-1):

• Members of this gene pool are probably in the same "species" (in conventional biological usage) and can intermate freely. Harlan and de Wet wrote, "Among forms of this gene pool, crossing is easy; hybrids are generally fertile with good chromosome pairing; gene segregation is approximately normal and gene transfer is generally easy.".^[1] They also advised subdividing each crop gene pool in two:
• Secondary gene pool (GP-2): Members of this pool are probably normally classified as different species than the crop species under consideration (the primary gene pool).
• Tertiary gene pool (GP-3): Members of this gene pool are more distantly related to the members of the primary gene pool. The primary and tertiary gene pools can be intermated, but gene transfer between them is impossible