Understanding Levels

Evidence

Foundational - 3

Scientists

Hutton - worked with Lyell to prove that the earth changes 

Lyell - Lyell argued that the greater age of Earth gave more time for gradual change in species, and the process provided an analogy for gradual change in species. Lyell was very influential on Darwin’s thinking.

Lamarck - “Use vs Disuse”: The more that you use a certain part of your body, stronger it will become, but the less you use a certain part of your body, the weaker it will become. Organisms change their behavior based on the environment changing around them.

Malthus - theorized that eventually the human population would run into catastrophic food shortages that would limit the population, as other species run into natural roadblocks that cause mass extinction.

Wallace - was a collector who observed that there were different patterns of butterflies in Oceania. Also he observed that there was a divide between kangaroos and monkeys. 

Darwin - created the theory of natural selection and observed species in the Galapagos.

Darwin’s observations 

• different species of finches exclusively on different islands

• tortoises with different shell patterns by island

• fossils that looked like larger versions of smaller living animal

• Traits are often heritable. In living organisms, many characteristics are inherited, or passed from parent to offspring. ... 

• More offspring are produced than can survive. ... 

• Offspring vary in their heritable traits.

Evolutionary Fitness- A species ability to adapt and reproduce in order to survive in any environment. 

• Discuss each of the following scientists’ contribution to the history of evolutionary thought: James Hutton, Charles Lyell, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, Thomas Malthus, Alfred Wallace, Charles Darwin

• Discuss different Darwin’s and Wallace's observations that led them to formulate their theory of evolution

• Define (evolutionary) fitness

Expected/Mastery - 4

Natural selection states the animals with the most favorable adaptations have a better chance to survive and reproduce. As a result, their traits will be passed on more frequently, and in turn replace the less favorable traits.

Mechanisms for Evolution

• Natural Selection- a process in which organisms with traits that make them unfit to survive are weeded out and the more fit organisms survive and reproduce

• Mutations- A random change in DNA sequence that is responsible for the change of a trait, it is always completely random and it can hurt or help an animal thrive.

• Gene Flow - is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent allele frequencies and therefore can be considered a single effective population.

• Genetic Drift - random changes in a population over time give a larger advantage to a specific individual

Evidence of evolution

• Fossils of small animals that have larger ancestors 

• tortoises with different shells on nearby islands to be able to eat

• Molecular evidence (DNA)

• Homologous, analogous, and vestigial structures

• morphological evidence(physical evidence)

• Discuss natural selection as the mechanism for evolution 

• Identify and discuss the various types of evidence of evolution

Foundational - 3

5 Conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium:

-Populations are infinitely large

-Mating is random

-Immigration or emigration does not occur in the population

-Mutations do not occur

-Natural selection does not occur

• Identify and discuss the 5 conditions (assumptions) for a population to remain in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

Expected/Mastery - 4

Hardy-Weinberg equation

p²+2pq+q²=1

p+q=1

Evolutionary forces 

Gene flow - the movement of alleles from one population to another, can introduce new genotypes and phenotypes into a population

Natural selection - causes the gene pool of a population to shift in favor of more fit traits

Genetic drift - the population’s gene pool randomly moves in one direction or the other

Mutations - mutations can cause entirely new genotypes and phenotypes that were not in the population before 

• Explain how evolutionary forces can influence the allele and genotypic frequencies (genetic structure) of a population

• Deduce the genetic structure of a population assumed to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium