Lecture 33: Evolution by Natural Selection

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts from Lecture 33, focusing on natural selection, adaptations, and specific case studies like the Bajau people and Galapagos finches.

Natural Selection

The process by which organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Adaptation

Allele frequencies change in response to natural selection.

Darwin’s Four Postulates

1) Variation exists among individuals; 2) Some of the trait differences are heritable; 3) Survival and reproductive success is variable; 4) The subset that survives is not a random sample.

Antibiotic Resistance

The ability of bacteria like Mycobacterium tuberculosis to survive treatments that were once effective due to mutations.

Polygenic

Characteristics not based on a single gene

Acclimatization

Phenotype changes in response to changes in environment, not passed on to offspring.