Key Concepts in Evolution and Natural Selection

Evolution

the change in characteristics of populations over time, and is driven by natural selection or genetic drift

Natural selection

organisms that have traits that are more likely to survive and pass them on to their offspring

Homologous structures

structures in 2 species that have the same anatomy, but may have different functions

Analagous Structures

structures in 2 species that have different anatomy, but similar functions because they live in similar environments

Vestigial Structures

they have no function, which means that the species evolved from an ancestor in which it functioned

Divergent Evolution

organisms that came from the same ancestor (similar DNA sequence, homologous structures, vestigial structures, etc) but b/c of migration or changing environments have evolved differently from each other.

Convergent Evolution

2 species that have evolved similar features b/c they live in the same environment and don't share a common ancestor

Taxonomy/Phylogeny overview

Group organism by very general traits and get more specific with each category

Linnaeus

Father of taxonomy

General Group

Kingdoms, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species (Remember by King Phillip came over from Genova, Switzerland)

Scientific name

Every organism has a 2 word scientific name → Genus Species, ex) Homo sapiens (humans)

Peppered moth activity

At first, the trees were light, but due to pollution following the Industrial Revolution, the light-colored moths survived more. However, when the trees turned dark, the light-colored moths decreased in population. As a result of natural selection, the dark-colored moths became more prominent.

Darwin's Theories

Species change over time with natural selection

Variation

exists in every population- differences everywhere

Overproduction

competition, so basically everyone struggled to survive and compete with one another

Descent with modification

an idea that over many generations, the more helpful traits became more common