How Many Alleles Does a Gene Pool Contain

Different versions of the same gene are called alleles. Genes can have two or more possible alleles. Individual humans have two alleles, or versions, of every gene.

How many alleles are in a gene pool?

Those 20 alleles are the gene pool for that locus. The set of all alleles at all loci is the full gene pool for the species. Over time, the size of a gene pool changes. The gene pool increases when a mutation changes a gene and the mutation survives (see How Evolution Works for details).

Are alleles in a gene pool?

The fact that genes exist in alternate forms, called alleles, forms the basis for the study of population genetics. Populations are made up of members of the same species that interbreed.