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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.