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General Biology 2 Overview
Course Code: BSB 102
Instructor: T. Michael Dodson
Page 3: Artificial Selection
Humans and Wild Species: Examines how humans shape the phenotypes of domestic species via artificial selection.
Wild Mustard: The common ancestor for various cultivated forms:
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kale
Kohlrabi
Terminal buds, flower clusters, and lateral bud forms illustrate phenotypic changes.
Page 4: Evidence for Evolution
Types of Evidence:
Animal and Plant Breeding: Evidence from selective breeding practices.
Biogeographical Patterns: Distribution of species across geographical areas.
Comparative Morphology: Study of body structures and their similarities/differences.
Geology: Insights from fossil records and geological processes.
Page 5: Geology as Evidence
Focus on geology, fossils as indicators of evolutionary processes, albeit sometimes limited in number.
Page 6: Fossil Evidence
Example: Fossilized ichthyosaur skeleton that contributes to our understanding of past life forms.
Page 7: More Evidence for Darwin
Detailed Observations:
Geology: Presence of fossils.
Biogeography: Distribution of organisms around the globe.
Page 12: Contributions to Darwin's Theory
Key concepts include comparative morphology, embryological similarities (homology), reduced structures (evolutionary remnants), and functional similarities (analogy).
Page 17: Historical Context
Charles Darwin's contributions to evolutionary theory while acknowledging other contributors such as Wallace and Mendel.
Page 18: Major Evolution Theorists
Contributors to Evolutionary Theory:
Wallace: Natural Selection
Mendel: Genetics and inheritance
Lyell: Geology and uniformitarianism
Cuvier: Paleontology
Malthus: Population dynamics
Lamarck: Early evolution theories
Hutton: Gradualism.
Page 24: On the Origin of Species
Darwin's publication that provides foundational theories on evolution:
Descent with Modification: How species evolve over time.
Natural Selection: Mechanism by which species adapt to their environments.
Page 25: Defining Natural Selection
Natural Selection Summary:
Variability leads to differential reproductive success among individuals.
Survival pressures and reproductive success drive evolution over generations.
Page 28: Genetic Variability Sources
Key sources include mutations, sexual recombination, and meiosis activities that contribute to genetic diversity.
Page 29: Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
Conditions:
No mutations
Population isolation
Large population size
Random mating practices
Absence of natural selection events.
Page 30: Microevolutionary Processes
Factors affecting genetic variation:
Mutations: Increase variability
Gene Flow: Improves genetic diversity
Sexual Selection: Maintains variation
Selection: Reduces variation through selective pressures.
Page 34: Genetic Divergence
Leads to speciation through evolution by natural selection and genetic variation mechanisms.
Page 36: Understanding Species
Definition: A group of populations capable of interbreeding in nature to produce fertile offspring, defining biological species and categorization.
Limitations: Biological concept does not apply to asexual reproduction or extinct species.
Page 40: Reproductive Isolation
Key Component of Speciation: Mechanisms that prevent interbreeding between distinct species, initiating speciation processes.
Page 45: Types of Isolation Mechanisms
Prezygotic barriers prevent mating or pollination, whereas postzygotic barriers result in hybrid issues post-fertilization.
Page 53: Mechanisms of Speciation
Allopatric Speciation: Population division by physical barriers.
Sympatric Speciation: Occurs among populations in the same area without a physical barrier.
Page 63: Sympatric Speciation Examples
Many domesticated plants arise through this process including oats and bananas, suggesting genetic divergence leads to new species.
Page 75: Extinction Trends
Extinction: Irreversible loss of species, noting rates have increased due to human activities.
Page 80: Basics of Cell Theory
Cells are fundamental units of life:
All organisms consist of cells.
Cells arise from pre-existing cells.
Page 85: Eukaryotic Cell Structures
Main organelles include mitochondria, rough/smooth ER, Golgi apparatus, nucleus, and plasma membrane.
Page 107: Prokaryotic Origins
Life began as anaerobic prokaryotes with early divergence leading to the formation of archaea and bacteria.
Page 116: Endosymbiotic Theory
Mitochondria and chloroplasts developed from bacteria through endosymbiotic relationships, highlighting evolutionary processes.
Page 168: Molecular Evidence of Common Ancestry
Genetic comparisons between species reinforce the concept of a shared ancestry, with molecular changes observable over time.
Page 179: Transitional Fossils
Recent findings provide insight into the evolutionary history of whales, showing adaptations such as leg-like structures in ancestors.
General Biology 2 Study Guide
Course Overview
Course Code: BSB 102
Instructor: T. Michael Dodson
Chapter Summaries
Page 3: Artificial Selection
Humans and Wild Species: Investigates how human intervention shapes the phenotypes of domestic species via artificial selection.
Wild Mustard: The common ancestor for various cultivated forms including:
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Cabbage
Kale
Kohlrabi
Phenotypic Changes: Illustrated by terminal buds, flower clusters, and lateral bud forms.
Page 4: Evidence for Evolution
Types of Evidence:
Animal and Plant Breeding: Evidence from selective breeding practices.
Biogeographical Patterns: Distribution of species across geographical areas.
Comparative Morphology: Study of similarities and differences in body structures.
Geology: Insights from fossil records and geological processes.
Page 5: Geology as Evidence
Focus on geology and fossils as indicators of evolutionary processes.
Page 6: Fossil Evidence
Example: Fossilized ichthyosaur skeleton contributes to understanding past life forms.
Page 7: More Evidence for Darwin
Detailed Observations:
Geology: Presence of fossils.
Biogeography: Distribution of organisms.
Page 12: Contributions to Darwin's Theory
Key Concepts:
Comparative morphology
Embryological similarities (homology)
Reduced structures (evolutionary remnants)
Functional similarities (analogy)
Page 17: Historical Context
Charles Darwin's Contributions: Acknowledges contributions by other theorists, such as Wallace and Mendel.
Page 18: Major Evolution Theorists
Important Contributors:
Wallace: Natural Selection
Mendel: Genetics and inheritance
Lyell: Geology and uniformitarianism
Cuvier: Paleontology
Malthus: Population dynamics
Lamarck: Early evolution theories
Hutton: Gradualism
Page 24: On the Origin of Species
Darwin's Key Publication: Provides foundational theories on evolution, including:
Descent with Modification: How species evolve over time.
Natural Selection: Mechanism for species adaptation.
Page 25: Defining Natural Selection
Summary: Variability leads to differential reproductive success among individuals, driven by survival pressures.
Page 28: Genetic Variability Sources
Key Sources: Mutations, sexual recombination, and meiosis contribute to genetic diversity.
Page 29: Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
Conditions:
No mutations
Population isolation
Large population size
Random mating
Absence of natural selection
Page 30: Microevolutionary Processes
Factors Affecting Genetic Variation:
Mutations: Increase variability
Gene Flow: Improves genetic diversity
Sexual Selection: Maintains variation
Selection: Reduces variation through selective pressures.
Page 34: Genetic Divergence
Leads to speciation via natural selection and genetic variation mechanisms.
Page 36: Understanding Species
Definition: A group of populations that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. Limits: Does not apply to asexual reproduction or extinct species.
Page 40: Reproductive Isolation
Key Component of Speciation: Mechanisms that prevent interbreeding between distinct species.
Page 45: Types of Isolation Mechanisms
Prezygotic Barriers: Prevent mating or pollination.
Postzygotic Barriers: Result in hybrid issues after fertilization.
Page 53: Mechanisms of Speciation
Allopatric Speciation: Population division by physical barriers.
Sympatric Speciation: Occurs among populations in the same area.
Page 63: Sympatric Speciation Examples
Examples include domesticated plants like oats and bananas.
Page 75: Extinction Trends
Extinction: Irreversible loss of species, with increasing rates due to human activities.
Page 80: Basics of Cell Theory
Fundamental Units of Life:
All organisms are composed of cells.
Cells arise from pre-existing cells.
Page 85: Eukaryotic Cell Structures
Main Organelles: Mitochondria, rough/smooth ER, Golgi apparatus, nucleus, plasma membrane.
Page 107: Prokaryotic Origins
Life began as anaerobic prokaryotes leading to the formation of archaea and bacteria.
Page 116: Endosymbiotic Theory
Mitochondria and Chloroplasts: Developed from bacteria through endosymbiotic relationships.
Page 168: Molecular Evidence of Common Ancestry
Genetic comparisons reinforce the idea of shared ancestry, observable molecular changes over time.
Page 179: Transitional Fossils
Recent findings, such as whale ancestors with leg-like structures, provide insight into evolutionary history.