Bio 124 Exam 1 Study Sheet Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the Bio 124 Exam 1 Study Sheet covering fundamental biology topics including life characteristics, the scientific method, evolutionary mechanisms, and Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium.

Requirements for Life on Earth

requiring energy, responding to the environment, being made of cells (organization), possessing genetic information, and having the ability to replicate.

Scientific Method Process

observation, inquiry, hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and interpretation of data.

Developing a Research Hypothesis

1. A "best guess" about why a phenomenon in nature exists as it does,

2. which must be testable, falsifiable,

3. supported or refuted by evidence.

Pro of Lab-based Research

Research offering more control over variables and conditions

Con of lab based research

May not represent what happens in nature

Pro of Field-based Research

Research that studies organisms in their natural environment

Con of field based research

Allows less control over variables and conditions

Parts of a Nucleotide

sugar (ribose), a phosphate molecule, and a nitrogen base.

What does gene’s influence ?

An organisms traits

What does the nitrogen base contain ?

Genetic information

Genotype

An organism's genetic makeup.

Phenotype

An organism's observable characteristics, which can be affected by both genotype and environment.

Evolution

The phenomenon where populations of organisms change over the course of many generations

Characterized by changes in allele frequencies over generations.

Evidence for Evolution

fossil records, anatomy and embryology, biogeography, molecular biology, and selective breeding.

What are the 5 mechanisms that can cause evolution ?

1. Mutation

2. Genetic drift

3. Gene flow/migration

4. Natural selection

5. Non-random mating

Requirements for Natural Selection

variation

heredity

differences in reproductive success.

Types of Natural Selection

stabilizing selection

directional selection

disruptive selection.

What is stabilizing selection ?

When the average trait is favored and extreme traits are less common

What is directional selection?

When one extreme trait is favored, causing the population to shift in that direction

What is disruptive selection ?

When both extreme traits are favored, while the average trait is less favored

What are the mechanisms that lead to evolution?

Mutation
Genetic Drift
Gene Flow/Migration
Natural Selection
Non Random Mating

Mutation

An evolutionary mechanism that creates new genetic variation and can increase genetic diversity in a population.

Genetic Drift

Random changes in allele frequencies that can decrease genetic diversity, especially in small populations.

Gene Flow / Migration

The movement of alleles between populations, which can increase genetic diversity within a population.

Natural Selection

An evolutionary mechanism that changes allele frequencies based on differences in survival and reproduction, which can alter the average phenotype of a population.

Non-random Mating

An evolutionary mechanism that includes mate choice and differential survival, changing which individuals reproduce and affecting allele frequencies over time.

Allele Frequency

The number of times an allele appears in the gene pool.

Hardy-Weinberg Allele Frequency Equation

$p + q = 1$, where $p$ represents the frequency of one allele and $q$ represents the frequency of the other allele.

Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE)

A state in which a population's allele frequencies are not changing, indicating that evolution is not occurring.

Conditions for Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium

1. Random mating

2. Large population

3. No migration

4. No mutations

5. No natural selection.

Macroevolution

Large-scale evolutionary changes that occur over long periods of time, often resulting in the formation of new species

Microevolution

Small changes in the traits or genes of a population that happen over a shorter period of time

Intersexual

one sex choosing the other sex

Intrasexual

same sex competing with each other

Basic Science

Knowledge

Applied science

Problem solving

Inductive reasoning

Observations that create a general conclusion

Deductive reasoning

A general premise, specific results are predicted