Biology chapter 22

What is evolution?

Genetic change in a population over time

Misconceptions about Evolution

Evolution is a theory about the origin of life, Organisms are always getting bigger and better, Evolution means that life changed "by chance", Natural selection involves organisms "trying" to adapt, Natural selection gives the organisms what they "need", Evolution is just a theory, Evolution is a theory in crisis, Gaps in the fossil record disproves evolution, Evolutionary theory is incomplete, The theory of evolution is flawed, Evolution is not science because it is not observable, Most biologists have rejected Darwin's views, Evolution leads to immoral behaviors Evolution supports "might make right", Evolution and religion are incompatible.

What is evolution?

Genetic change in a population over times

What is adaptation?

An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection.

What is natural selection?

Natural selection is the gradual, nonrandom process by which biological traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution.

What is genetic drift?

Genetic drift or allelic drift is the change in the frequency of a gene variant (allele) in a population due to random sampling.

What are mutations?

changes in a genomic sequence

Who was James Hutton?

Father of geology, Geological features could be explained by gradual mechanisms that are still operating

Who was Carolus Linnaeus?

Father of taxonomy, Taxonomical hierarchy, Binomial nomenclature

Who was Jean Baptiste de Lamarck

French biologist proposed 2 principals, Use and disuse (The more you use something the greater it becomes, conversely if you fail to use something it will disappear), Inheritance of acquired characters (Characteristics you gain are passed to future generations of offspring)

Who was Thomas Malthus?

Examined population limit, Carrying capacity (Every population has a limit to which it can withstand in a given environment) only applies in non- human populations.

Who was George Cuvier?

French, Paleontology (Study of fossils), Catastrophism (once in a lifetime event [catastrophy] that changes geological structure)

Who was Charles Lyell?

Leading geologist of Darwin's time that incorporated Hutton's theories, Uniformitarianism (Hutton's original ideas expanded, ), Wrote "Principals of Geology"

Who was Alfred Wallace?

British Naturalist who worked in the East Indies, Discovered natural selection, but gave Darwin credit for it

Who was Charles Darwin?

Born in Shrewsbury, Went to medical school, but dropped out and enrolled at Cambridge to become a clergyman, Wrote on the origin of species.

What adaptations did darwin focus on?

1. An inherited characteristic that enhances an organisms ability to survive and reproduce, Behavioral, Structural, Biochemical, Physiological

Concepts from On the Origin of Species?

Descent with modification- how organisms change over time, Natural Selection- Primary mechanism of evolutionary change. Only pertains to traits already present in organisms.

Competition

Competing for an end.

Variation

all populations will have variation, one variation will be selected as dominant. The variation which is most successful in a given environment will be selected as dominant.

Heritability

Those individuals that survive better or reproduce more will pass their superior genes to the next generation

Differential Reproduction

Individuals with favorable traits (which are indicative of "good genes") leave behind more offspring (Strong Survive)

What is artificial selection?

The selective breeding of domesticated plants and animals to promote the occurrence of desirable traits

Direct observations of evolution

Predation and Coloration in Guppies, Evolution of Drug-resistant HIV

Fossil Records of evolution?

Documentation of when live started to show up on earth. i. Oldest known are of prokaryotic cells, The Oldest eukaryotes are a billion of years younger, Multicellular fossils are even more recent, Paleontologists, Organic material decays rapidly, while hard parts such as bones, teeth and shells remain as fossils, Trace fossils- Footprints, Burrows, and other remnants of ancient organism, Rare cases of whole organisms, Linking fossils

What is Convergent evolution?

the evolution of similar features in independent evolutionary lineages

What are Vestigial structures?

Remnants of features that served important functions in the organisms ancestors.

What is Biogeography?

The study of past and present geographic distributions of organisms

What is Continental Drift?

The slow movement of the continental plates.

What is Endemic?

refers to a species that is confined to a specific, relatively small geographic region.