Vocab and examples for exam 1

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