Evolutionary Anthropology Lecture 2: Selection

Flashcards about selection based on the lecture notes.

What is the age of the Earth?

Approximately 4.6 billion years old

What concept did Georges Cuvier introduce?

Extinction

What idea did Charles Lyell come up with?

Uniformitarianism

What mechanism did Jean-Baptiste Lamarck propose?

Lamarckian Inheritance (inheritance of acquired characteristics)

What ship did Darwin sail on?

HMS Beagle

What was one of Darwin's key observations in the Galápagos Islands?

Variation in traits in otherwise similar animals, such as Darwin’s finches with varied beak size and shape

What ideas did Darwin integrate to theorize Natural Selection?

Evolution, diversity of forms, importance of sexual reproduction, Thomas Malthus' ideas about competition for resources, and his observations in the Galapagos.

What did Alfred Russel Wallace send to Darwin in 1857?

On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely from the Original Type

When were Darwin and Wallace's papers presented at the Linnean Society?

1858

What is natural selection?

An evolutionary process where certain phenotypes confer an advantage or disadvantage in survival and/or reproductive success.

What book did Darwin publish in 1859?

The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection

What three things help Natural Selection to occur?

There must be variation in the population, a trait must be heritable, and differential survival due to competition for resources must be present.

What is 'fitness' in evolutionary terms?

The number of offspring an individual leaves in the next generation.

What are examples of Natural Selection?

Earlier maturation of Atlantic Cod, beak evolution in Darwin’s finches, coloration of Peppered Moths

What are exaptations?

Features that are co-opted and modified for new functions during evolution

What are the types of selection?

Directional, stabilizing, and disruptive.

What is directional selection?

Selection for one extreme or the other.

What is stabilizing selection?

Selection for an intermediate/average form.

What is disruptive selection?

Selection for both extremes, intermediate forms are selected against.

What is balancing selection?

Selection that maintains genetic variation within a population.

Why hasn't natural selection removed the sickle cell allele?

Heterozygotes (AS) for the sickle cell allele are more fit than either homozygote in areas with high malaria risk.

What is sexual selection?

Selection caused by competition for mates; selection for traits (within one sex) that aid in mate acquisition.

What is intrasexual selection?

Male competition

What is intersexual selection?

Female choice

What is kin selection?

Any behavior that benefits yourself or your kin improves your reproductive success.

What is Hamilton's rule?

Altruistic behaviors will be favored by selection if the costs of performing the behavior are less than the benefits multiplied by the coefficient of relatedness between the actor and recipient

What is artificial selection?

The selective breeding by humans of animals and plants.