Studied by 46 people
Comparitive morphology
The similarities and differences between organisms physical appearances
Who found Lamarckism?
Jean Baptiste Lamarck
What is the meaning of Lamarckism?
change in an organisms body of the course of a lifetime can be inherited by their offspring
What is an example of Lamarckism?
lizards disuse of legs and arms led to the evolution of snakes
Lamarcks two incorrect principles included:
the principle of use and disuse
the principle of inheritance of acquired traits
What is the principle of use and disuse
structures used in an individuals lifetime more frequently became stronger and more prominent, while less used ones became weaker and less prominent
What is the principle of inheritance of acquired traits
any gains or losses of characteristics during an individuals lifetime would be passed onto their offspring
What is catastrophism?
Periodic, violent geological events shaped Earth’s current landscape, which offered an explanation for extinction
Who came up with catastrophism
George Cuvier
What is uniformitarianism
Gradual, familiar geological processes could have shaped Earth’s landscape if they had occured over very long spans of time
Who came up with uniformitarianism
George Lyell
What is an example of uniformitarianism
The Grand Canyon changes over long periods of time
Who came up with tha Malthusian Growth model
Thomas Malthus
What is the Malthusian growth model about
a population will grow until resources are depleted then there is a struggle for the remaining resources, therefore, some people will die while others live
Who is credited for Natural Selection
Charles Darwin
WHat is the definition of natural selection
The process in which environmental pressures result in differential survival and reproduction of individuals
What are examples of natural selection
The Marine Iguanas evolving Galapagos Islands
Darwins finches
What was Darwins first book
Voyage of the Beagle, 1839
What was Darwins second book
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, 1859
Who is credited for Biogeography
Alfred Russel Wallace
What is the definition of biogeography
the distribution of different yet similar organisms can reveal their evolutionary relationships
What are examples of organisms studied in biogeography
Diomedary camel, Bactrian camel, llama, alpaca
Ostrich types like Emu and Rhea
What is the Wallace line?
The stark differences in the species found on either side of the Amazon river, valleys, and mountains (the Wallace line is that recognized ‘division’)
Which two scientists realized natural selection drives evolution?
Darwin and Wallace
‘Greater fitness’ is recognized as
the ability to have more offspring and pass adaptive traits down to them
Nature’s evolutionary laboratory is known as
The Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos islands consist of ____ major islands and _____ smaller islands
13;7
What are the 3 main currents of the Galapagos, and what are their relative temperatures?
Humboldt/Peru current ——> cold
Panama current ——> warm
Cromwell current ——> cold
What are the 3 main vegetation zones of the Galapagos?
Coastal
Arid
Humid
The Marine Iguanas are the only _____ iguanas of the world
marine
Darwin’s finches are famously known for helping Darwin _____________________.
develop theories of evolution and natural selection
Darwin did not use the term evolution. Rather, he called it “_________ ________ ______________”
Descent with modification
Natural selection is the selection of traits by __________
Nature
Artificial selection is the selection of traits by _________
Humans
The Galapagos finches are an example of which kind of selection?
Natural Selection
Dry years on the Galapagos led to the prevalance of what type of beaks?
shorter and deeper
Wet years on the Galapagos led to the prevalance of what type of beaks?
longer and shallower
The Peppered moths are an example of what type of selection?
Natural selection
During the industrial revolution, which colored moth had better survival rates?
the melanic moths
Artificial selection is also known as ___________
Domestication
Modern corn, dogs, pigs, and general farm animals and plants are examples of what type of selection?
Artificial selection
What are fossils?
the preserved remains of once-living organisms
The process of fossilization is so rare due to the fact that
bodies decay or are eaten before fossilization can occur
Two organisms that are good examples of fossil evidence of evolution are
Horses and whales
What are homologous structures?
Structures that look similar, have different functions, share a common ancestor
An example of homologous structures would be
the forelimbs of humans, cats, bats, and whales
What does embryonic development suggest for evolution?
Strong anatomical evidence comes from comparisons of how organisms develop
An example of embryonic development would be
the embryos of different types of vertebrae
What are vestigial structures?
Structures that have no apparent function, but resemble structures that ancestors possessed
Examples of vestigial structures include
Toenails on manatees
No hemoglobin in Ice Fish
Wisdom Teeth in Humans
Darwins Tuberacle in Humans
Appendix in Humans
Coccyx/tailbone in humans
What does biogeochemical evidence serve for evolution?
The number of differences among the DNA of different lineages can be used as a molecular clock to estimate relative times of divergence
What is convergent evolution?
similar pressures have made the two groups more alike and phenotypes have converged
Convergent evolution can lead to what type of structures?
analogous structures
What are analogous structures?
distantly related but appear similar due to similar environmental pressures
Organisms that have analogous structures include
Sharks, dolphins, and whales - they all have fins
What is biological evolution
through time, species accumulate differences; as a result, descendants differ from their ancestors, in this new species arise from pre-existing ones
What is genetic variation
the different alleles of genes found wihtin individuals of a population
There are 5 processes discussed that lead to evolutionary change. What are they?
mutations, gene flow, nonrandom mating, genetic drift, natural selection
What is a neutral mutation?
It has no effect
What is a lethal mutation?
it results in death
What is an adaptive mutation?
It results in an adaptive change
What is microevolution?
change in allele frequency
What is gene flow?
The movement of alleles from one population to another
What is an example of gene flow?
Migration
Movement of gametes from plants and marine organisms by wind or water is considered which example of gene flow?
Migration
What is nonrandom mating?
choosing who you’re mating with
An example of organisms that do nonrandom mating?
Blue footed boobies, frigate birds
What is assortative mating?
mating between similar individuals increases the proportion of homozygotes
What is dissassortative mating?
mating between non-similar individuals that increase the proportion of heterozygotes
What is an example of organisms that follow disassortative mating
frigate birds
Assortative mating can lead to what?
inbreeding/incest
What is genetic drift?
A drastic change in a populations allele frequency by chance alone
Genetic drift affects _______ populations more
Small
The bottleneck effect and Founder effect are an example of
genetic drift
What is the bottleneck effect?
when there is a drastic reduction in population size
An example of the bottleneck effect is the
Northern Elephant Seal
What is the Founder effect?
When a new small population separates to make it’s own; no drastic event involved
What are examples of the Founder effect?
Amish and Polydactylism
What are the three categories under natural selection?
Directional, stabilizing, and disruptive
Directional selection is
the choosing of one extreme
Stabilizing selection is
the selection for intermediate traits
What is an example of stabilizing selection?
human birth weight
What is disruptive selection
The selection for both extremes
Examples of organisms that fall under disruptive selection are
the Black-bellied seedcracker finch, pocket mice, peppered moths
What is sexual selection?
a form of natural selection in which adaptive traits are those that make their bearers better at securing mates
Sexual selection leads to what?
Sexual dimorphism
What is sexual dimorphism?
Morphological differences based on sex (the males and females looking increasingly different)
Examples of organisms that fall under sexual dimorphism include
peafowl, baboon, elephant seal, phaesant (quail dupe), frigate birds
What is frequency-dependent selection
favors certain phenotypes depending on how commonly or uncommonly they occur
Examples of frequency-dependent selection include
Jaguar, sickle cell anemia, helioconius
What is allopatric speciation?
A geographic barrier arises and interrupts gene flow between populations
A prime example of allopatric speciation are
islands
What is sympatric speciation?
Occurs by genetic divergence within a population in the absence of a physical barrier to gene flow
What is a prezygotic barrier?
It prevents fertilization
What are the four prezygotic barriers?
Temporal, ecological, behavioral, mechanical
What is temporal isolation?
Occurs when two species mate or flower at different times of the year
What is ecological isolation?
Occurs when two species inhabit similar regions, but occupy different habitats
What is behavioral isolation?
Occurs when two species respond to different specific courtship patterns
What is mechanical isolation?
Occurs when genital differences prevent copulation (animals) or when flowers are pollinated by different animals
What are postzygotic barriers
they prevent development of fertile offspring
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Flashcard (137)