1 Flashcards
If an environment changes, what happens to organisms?
Migrate to a more suitable environment
Die (extinction)
Adapt/Evolve
How do organisms evolve?
Enivornment puts selective pressure onto the organisms then the organisms with beneficial traits survive, and pass on these traits.
What is an adaptation?
An adaptation is a heritable trait that helps an organism, such as a plant or animal, survive and reproduce in its environment (selective advantage).
Variation caused by mutation is ?
Advantageous, it introduces new traits into a population, which increases genetic diversity
What modifications can be made to an organisms body? (physical / structural adaptations)
Functional ( e.g thick fur of a bear)
Aposematism (warning of toxicity to predators through colouration)
Mimicry ( coloration to resemble a harmful /distasteful organism
What modifications can be made to an organisms physiological? (physiological) and what are some exmaples?
-Internal body processes (CHEMICAL)
- Ex. Enzymes controlling bodily functions
-Ex. Pheromones to influence behaviour of other individuals
What modifications can be made to an organisms behaviour? (behaviour) and what are some examples?
Change in behaviour is a response to a stimulus
Ex. Migration, Hibernation, Mating Rituals
Whats an hypothesis?
An educated guess.
What’s a theory?
A explanation based on a set of hypotheses that have been repeatedly verified by many scientists.
How does speciation occur through adaptive radiation and selective pressures?
Speciation is the creation of new species.
Adaptive radiation occurs when a single species evolves to occupy multiple different niches.
Different selective pressures lead to different adaptations, which cause the evolution of new species.
What theory is considered the primary mechanism for evolution?
Natural selection, (Individuals with desirable traits to a selective pressure, survive to reproduce and pass on their genes.)
What is the pace of evolution:
Gradualism: Evolution occurs slowly and steadily over long periods of time, with small changes accumulating gradually.
Less likely for most species according to the fossil record
Punctuated Equilbrium
Evolution happens in rapid bursts, followed by long periods of stability (little or no change). This suggests that species stay the same for long periods, interrupted by quick, significant changes.
Who created the theory of evolution by Natural Selection?
Charles Darwin
Evolution driven by selective pressures in the environment (those with desirable traits survive to reproduce)
Spontaneous variation within a population can be passed to offspring.
What did Jean- Baptistie Lamarck believe?
He believed in the inheritance of acquired characteristics. He believed organims could change during their lifetime based on their use or disuse of certain traits. He also believed those traits could be passed onto offspring
What Evidence of Evolution is there?
Fossil Record
- Sekeltal (bones of dead animals) remains forming fossils in sedimentary rock illustrates organisms evolutionary history.
What is biogeography?
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of life (plants, animals, and other organisms) across the Earth’s surface, both spatially and through time
What does the Theory of Plate Tectonics explain, and how does it relate to species distribution?
The Theory of Plate Tectonics explains the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates.
It relates to species distribution because tbe movement of continents can isolate species, leading to the creation of species and distinct distributions of organisms.
How does climate influence the evolution and distribution of species?
Climate creates selective pressures on organisms, which leads to evolution
Climate also affects where species can live and how they evolve to survive in different climates.
What is convergent evolution, and how does it occur?
Convergent evolution occurs when distantly related organisms develop similar traits due to experiencing similar environmental pressures, even though they do not share a common ancestor with those traits.
What is Embryology?
Embryology is the study of how embryos develop from a single fertilized cell into a fully formed organism
It suggests that many species share common ancestry because of the similarities in early stages of development
What is a verterbrate
A vertebrate is an animal that has a backbone or spinal column.
What is the physiological evidence of evolution?
Vestigal organs: ‘useless’ organs found in related species ( remnants of structures no longer selected for)
What are Homologous Structures?
Homologous structures are body parts in different animals that are similar in structure because they come from a common ancestor, even if they serve different purposes
Ex. human arm and bat wing
What are Analogous Structures?
Analogous structures are body parts in different species that perform the same function but have different structures because they evolved separately
Wings of a butterfly and wings of a bird
