Adaption

Question 1

Three types of adaption and provide example for each

Answer 1

Structural - physical features I.e. Fur on bear
Behavioural - things they do to survive I.e. Migration
Physiological - internal changes i.e making venom

Question 2

What did Jean-baptiste say lead to adaption. Was he wrong, what was right

Answer 2

Two processes - use and disuse, inheritance of acquired characteristics

Processes are wrong, got that species are not fixed but chance over time right

Question 3

What process leads to adaption?

Answer 3

Main mechanism is natural selection. Natural selection is a process in which individuals in a population with characteristics best suited to the environment survive and reproduce better than others individuals

Question 4

Darwins theory on evolution by natural selection states that you need what three conditions

Answer 4

Competition, variation among individuals (some individuals better at competing for resources than others, variation must be heritable (at least some of differences in ability to compete for limited resources are heritable

Question 5

Describe population growth vs time in theory and in reality. Why do they differ?

Answer 5

In theory, the population grows exponentially with time. However, in reality population increase and then plateaus. This is because resources are limited and not infinite. Resource limitation prevents population from going up, forces competition between individuals

Question 6

Three conditions necessary for evolution by natural selection

Answer 6

Must be variation in the trait
Variable is heritable
Variation has fitness Consequences

Question 7

Problems with adaption

Answer 7

Organism adapted to current environment, so if environment changes fast, whatever was adapted in previous environment no longer the best adaption

Natural selection constrained by evolutionary history

Adaptions are compromises, bigger rabbit have more foraging success in gathering food, but also target of prey

Natural selection acts on existing variation. New variation does not arrive on demand. In population where variation is very limited, natural selection cannot work or at least very slowly. Mismatch between speed at which evolution happens and change in environment

Question 8

Difference between NS and evolution

Answer 8

NS is process

Evolution is change

Question 9

What is adaption?

Answer 9

Any trait that helps an organism survive AND reproduce to have higher fitness