∞ generated and posted on 2016.09.05 ∞
Collection of all alleles found within a population.
Keep in mind that populations are interbreeding groups of organisms. A gene pool therefore is a representation of all alleles that could possibly find their way into a single individual that is found within a given population.
Gene pools can be measured in terms of their size, particularly the number of individual organisms making them up. See also allele frequency.
Gene pools can also be differentiated in terms of their variability. At a minimum, gene pools contain at least one allele type for every genetic locus, but each locus alternatively can possess multiple alleles (= polymorphism), across the gene pool, resulting in substantial genetic variation upon which natural selection potentially can act.