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gene flow
noun
: the passage and establishment of genes typical of one breeding population into the gene pool of another
Examples of gene flow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Japan, for example, there was a massive gene flow from Korea during the Bronze Age.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 22 Dec. 2021
While researchers had previously known there was gene flow back and forth across the Bering Sea — perhaps for 5,000 years — this finding stretches that area of gene flow further south into the Kamchatka Peninsula.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2023
Genetically the original speakers of Indo-European and Dravidian may have had great similarities simply due to gene flow.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 17 Aug. 2012
Large freeways, especially in Southern California, have fragmented puma habitat, trapping populations to their local mountains and restricting gene flow critical to the species’ survival.
—Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023
To bring the rule into compliance with the order, USFWS proposed removing the 320-wolf population cap, adding a genetic objective to address limited gene flow, and restricting several ways in which land managers and private landowners are allowed to kill wolves.
—Lindsey Botts, The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2022
Princeton University’s Joshua Akey explains how catalogs of surviving hominin lineages reveal insights into hybridization, that gene flow was widespread in both time and geography, and presents new evidence of an early out-of-Africa dispersal of modern humans.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2021
The model that included gene flow from archaic hominins produced results that more closely matched up to actual human populations in the region.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 25 June 2019
Roads can prevent species from migrating, constrain gene flow in animal populations and shrink their range.
—Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2016
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gene flow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1939, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near gene flow
Cite this Entry
“Gene flow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gene%20flow. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
Medical Definition
gene flow
noun
: the passage and establishment of genes typical of one breeding population into the gene pool of another
More from Merriam-Webster on gene flow
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gene flow
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