The transfer of genetic material between separate populations through migration and interbreeding. Gene flow introduces new alleles and increases genetic diversity within populations while reducing differences between populations.
Compound of 'gene' from Greek 'genos' meaning 'race or kind' and 'flow' from Old English 'flowan' meaning 'to flow like water'. The concept developed in the 1940s as population geneticists began modeling how genes move between populations like water flowing between connected pools.
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