Bio_11_3_Evolution_2024 (1)

Geology

Geological change occurs over hundreds of millions of years and has been responsible for shaping the earth (Hutton & Uniformitarianism)

Galapagos Islands

Tortoises & Finches

Adaptive Radiation

the formation of new forms from an ancestral species

Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection

1) High reproductive potential

2) Inherited variations exist

3) Constant struggle for limited resources, many individuals die

4) Adaptive traits become more common in subsequent generations

Adaptation

occurs when a heritable change in phenotype increases an animal’s chances of successful reproduction

Alfred Russel Wallace

Theory of evolution similar to Darwin’s

Microevolution

change in the frequency of alleles in a population over time

Macroevolution

large-scale changes that result in the extinction and formation of new species

Biogeography

study of the geographic distribution of plants & animals

Paleontology

study of the fossil record

Fossils

evidence of plants & animals that existed in the past & have become incorporated into the earth’s crust

Homology —— Comparative Anatomy

study of the structure of living & fossilized animals & homologies that indicate evolutionarily close relationships; resemblance that occurs because of common ancestry

Vestigial structures

no apparent function in an animal; clearly evolved from functioning structures in ancestors

Homology ——- Molecular Biology

study of nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA, ribosomal RNA & proteins

Phylogeny

evolutionary relationships among species

Phylogenetic Trees

show lines of descent

Phylogenetic Branches

evolutionary connections

Phylogenetic Nodes

branch points; genes, populations/species where a change occurs

Modern Synthesis

principles of modern genetics combined with Darwinian evolutionary theory