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Evolution and Human Behaviour (PSYC2537) > 1. Evolutionary Theory > Flashcards

1. Evolutionary Theory Flashcards

1
Q

What knowledge did early biologists lack about evolution?

A

They believed evolution as fact but did not know the mechanism (how it happened)

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2
Q

Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)

A

Organisms within a species aspire to higher forms and this is this is passed onto future generations (inheritance of acquired characteristics) e.g. giraffes reaching for leaves

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3
Q

Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802)

A

Charles Darwin’s grandfather

Believed all living things could have a common ancestor, and competition might be the driving force

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4
Q

Charles Darwin - background

A

1809-1882

Studied medicine at Edinburgh university but quit

Studied for BA at Cambridge with the aim of joining the clergy

Became interested in biology and travelled around South America on HMS Beagle for 5 years working as a naturalist

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5
Q

Galapagos Islands…

A

Darwin noticed varied physical features of birds on different islands, and realised they were suited to their specific food source

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6
Q

Darwin was influenced by 2 people…

A

Charles Lyell: Victorian times, trying to understand geological changes over time

Thomas Malthus: overpopulation leading to survival of those most fit to survive

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7
Q

What is natural selection?

A

The mechanism for evolutionary change

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8
Q

3 parts to natural selection

A
  1. VARIATION - population of organisms must have a variety of traits
  2. INHERITANCE - traits must reliably inherited by offspring
  3. SELECTION - some traits must aid survival, so more likely that owner will reach maturity and have own offspring to inherit that trait
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9
Q

Peppered moths

A

Evolved to be camouflaged against trees

Industrial revolution - soot changed colour of trees

Variation within the group meaning one moth is the darkest - more likely to survive and pass on this trait

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10
Q

How gradual is natural selection?

A

New adaptations can take approximately 1,000 generations to become ‘fixed’ (in humans a generation is around 30 years, meaning 30,000 years for a new adaptation to become fixed)

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11
Q

What does it mean if an adaptation is ‘fixed’?

A

present in all members within a group

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12
Q

What did evolution start with?

A

We all share a common ancestor / life source from which we have evolved different traits

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13
Q

Why did Darwin not publish his theory for 20 years?

A

Due to its controversial nature

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14
Q

Alfred Russel Wallace…

A

Sent Darwin his own ideas about natural selection in 1858

He and Darwin presented their papers to the Linnean Society of London 1st July 1858

Darwin had more evidence and understanding

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15
Q

The Origin of Species

A

Published 1859

Presenting ideas about how the natural world came to be

Controversial - religious leaders

Still relevant today

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16
Q

Darwin’s thoughts on inheritance

A

He did not know. He thought of inheritance as being a blend of parents’ characteristics

Gregor Mendel’s work on inheritance was in 1866

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17
Q

Religious reaction

A

Contradicted some bible teachings (all living things were created by God)

Christians believed that humans are distinct from animals - Darwin said we share common ancestors

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18
Q

What does heterozygous mean in genetic inheritance?

A

An individual carries both copies of the dominant gene

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19
Q

What does homozygous mean in genetic inheritance?

A

An individual carries two copies of the dominant gene

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20
Q

When will an individual express a recessive gene?

A

When an individual is homozygous for the recessive gene (i.e. carries both copies of the recessive gene)

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21
Q

What did Mendel refer to genes as?

A

particles of heredity

22
Q

How was Mendel’s work beneficial to Darwin’s theory of evolution?

A

It offered the mechanism by which traits are inherited

23
Q

What is gene mutation?

A

A spontaneous change in DNA

24
Q

What is ethology?

A

The study of behaviour from an evolutionary perspective

25
Q

Levels of causality (Niko Tinbergen’s Four Whys)

A
  1. Proximate or mechanistic cause
  2. Developmental or ontogenetic cause
  3. Phylogenetic or historical cause
  4. Functional or ultimate cause
26
Q

What is group selection?

A

Idea Darwin rejected that natural selection operates on groups and produces adaptations to benefit the group

27
Q

Wynne Edwards (1962)

A

Animals restrain their own reproduction so that the food supply is not overeaten

However, a group member who did not restrain their reproduction would be better off than those who did

28
Q

George C. Williams (1966)

A

Selection works on individuals within a population/species

29
Q

What quickly replaces the notion of group selection?

A

The notion of individual selection

30
Q

What did Richard Dawkins (1976) say about individual selection?

A

Genes are what are selected

31
Q

Whose mathematical work introduced inclusive fitness?

A

William Hamilton

32
Q

What is inclusive fitness?

A

We seek the best for our genes, whether they are in out own bodies or someone else’s (e.g. relative)
The more related to us someone is, the more we want to help them survive

33
Q

What does inclusive fitness explain?

A

Parental care and kinship, which positively affect an individual’s inclusive fitness

34
Q

What percentage of our genes do we share with our relatives?

A

50% with each parent and siblings
25% with grandparents/grandchildren
12.5% with first cousins

35
Q

What does the ‘selfish gene’ mean?

A

Does not mean that genes are deliberately selfish, just that genes that are good at making further copies will be selected for

36
Q

What is the Green Beard effect?

A

A gene for green beards which recognises and helps other organisms with that gene will prosper

37
Q

What do the ‘selfish gene’ and the Green Beard effect explain?

A

it explains helpful behaviour (altruism) being due to selfish reasons (the propagation of the green beard gene)

38
Q

What is Social Darwinism?

A

Founded by Herbert Spencer (came up with the misleading phrase ‘survival of the fittest’)
A range of ideologies about how natural selection can be applies to competition between human groups

39
Q

What did Social Darwinism justify?

A

Social Darwinism justified social inequality as being due to superiority of certain humans - a view not supported by Darwin

40
Q

What did Social Darwinism imply?

A

Social Darwinism implies ideas of racial superiority, particularly among white Europeans/Americans

41
Q

How were ideas of Social Darwinism used?

A

They were put into practice by certain authorities and governments

42
Q

What’s eugenics?

A

the study of human heredity patterns with the goal of improving the species through selective breeding

43
Q

What is believed about eugenics?

A

It is believed that human health and intelligence would increase, resources would be saved and suffering prevented

44
Q

What did eugenics include?

A

Selective breeding

Possibly genetic engineering

45
Q

History of forced sterilisation

A

First practised in USA early 1900s

65,000 mentally ill, deaf and blind native Americans and criminals were voluntarily or forcibly sterilised

46
Q

Three categories of forces sterilisation:

A

Eugenic
Therapeutic
Punitive

47
Q

How long did sterilisation laws remain on the books for?

A

In 27 states sterilisation laws remained on the book in 1956

48
Q

Nazi Germany

A

Eugenic programmes to ‘racial hygiene’
Protect the Aryan race from those identified as “life unworthy of life”
Included:
Forced sterilisation (400,000 people)
Incentives for breeding and controlled marriage
The Holocaust

49
Q

3 misunderstandings

A
  1. What occurs in nature is what should occur
  2. Humans have no control over their evolutionary destiny
  3. Evolution is progress towards higher forms
50
Q

Collecting evidence

A

Difficult, as it happens so slowly it can’t be measured (unless species with short lifespans)
We can only make predictions about what we can find now or from the past

51
Q

Fossils

A

We see development of species over millions of years
Few animals fossilise - rare
Only certain body parts fossilise - we fill in gaps with behaviour

52
Q

How could fossils be used to disprove evolution?

A

If one species appeared in the wrong era e.g. rabbit in the Precambrian

Evolution and Human Behaviour (PSYC2537) (14 decks)

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