Evolutionary Biology Flashcards

Flashcards covering key concepts from lecture notes on the origin of life, major evolutionary events.

According to the lecture notes, what are the key characteristics of the origin of life?

To transduce energy, replicate, and evolve.

When did the origin of life occur, according to fossil evidence?

Strong fossil evidence exists to 3 billion years ago, with debatable evidence going back to 3.5 billion years ago.

What does lecture note say are the conditions necessary for origin of life?

Only nucleic acids replicate; and assembly into polymers is possible with clay or evaporation. RNA can self-replicate.

What are the major events, according to lecture notes?

Origin of life, origin of eukaryotes, origin of animals, origin of terrestrial plants.

What are the major time periods, according to lecture notes?

Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, and Pleistocene.

When did early eukaryotes and animals appear?

Early eukaryotes appeared approximately 1.8 billion years ago, and animals around 1 billion years ago.

why does becoming multicellular require being complex?

Cells rely on diffusion, and diffusion rate is inversely proportional to distance. Requires cell specialization and regulation of gene expression.

what physical law makes being big requires being complex?

The square-cube law.

what organisms can be characterized as Deuterostomes?

Vertebrata, Cephalochordata, Urochordata, Hemichordata, and Echinodermata.

what characterizes the early evolution of Ctenophora and Cnidaria?

Multicellularity, 2 cell layers with radial symmetry, and embryonic blastopore.

What key events occurred during the Paleozoic era, according to the lecture notes?

Diversification of major animal groups, origin of land plants, and a mass extinction at the end of the period.

According to lecture notes, when did the Cambrian explosion occur?

542-532 million years ago.

What was the origin of life in the Paleozoic period?

Origin of jawed fishes, terrestrial vascular plants, arthropods, and insects.

What was the evolutionary innovation of the organisms in the Paleozoic period?

First 4-legged vertebrates with digits.

what distinguishes embryophytes in the plant life cycle?

Zygote retained.

What characterizes the end of the Paleozoic Era?:

Insects diversified, origin of “reptiles” including mammal ancestors, and a huge mass extinctionr permian mass extinction