basis of evolution by natural selection Flashcards
What is evolution?
Descent with modification
Who is Carl Von Linne
Created Linnaean taxonomy (how we class animals)
What are the binomial (or trinomial) naming system?
Genus, species, subspecies
What is the order of classification?
Kingdom. Phylum. Class. Order. Family. Genus. Species
What is a biological species concept (BSC)?
A reproductively isolated population
What is assortative mating?
Selection of a mate with a similar phenotype
What are the three theories for the history of life?
Evolution, transformation and seperate creation
What did Muller discover?
DDT killed insects but before getting a nobel prize, the flies became resistant
What is a ring species?
the extreme forms do not interbreed in the region of overlap
How can flowers get fertile offspring?
When the offspring is resilient enough in the genetic makeup. More likely to spread with lots of gametes
What is uniformitarianism
That the past is key to understanding the present (looking back at fossils and similarities)
What are intermediate forms?
Present continuously in the fossil record
Is evolution parsimonious?
yes
What are analogous structures?
Bones with the same function but a different structure
What are homologous structures?
Bones in the same order in the same part of the body
Example of animals on separate evolutionary pathways
Octopus eye compared to human eye
What is a tetrapod?
animal with four legs
What is the pentadactyl limb in a tetrapod an example of?
Homologous structure
Is the pentadactyl limb functionally necessary?
no
How does the living fossil of tuatara (sphenodon puncctatus) survive in cold weather?
Neuroendocrine system evolved so pineal gland that assesses temperature is large and at the front of the head
What is the genetic code like across all animals?
Same base pairings and helix structure across all animals
What is a vestigial structure?
A structure in an organism that has lost all or most of its original function in the course of evolution, such as human appendixes.
What is a vestigial structure in tetrapods?
pectoral and pelvic articulations are homologous
What is genetic drift?
Animals lose bits of genetic variation over time
What is speciation?
the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
What is the cost-benefit model of adaptations?
Economic term that allows analysis of phenotypes in terms of fitness benefits and fitness costs
When is mobbing adaptive?
if benefits outweigh the cost
What is the dilution effect?
grouping together with other animals to enhance your own fitness as others are more likely to be eaten
How big shoudl a group of butterflies be to increase fitness
at least 40
What is intrasexual selection
male-male competition
What are the three intersexual selections?
Co-evolved with trait exaggeration (Fishers process), direct benefits, sensory bias
What did Bakker find about sexual selection in three-spined sticklebacks?
sons will be bright red and daughters will have preference for red
What can natural selection only act on?
The genetic variants that arise
What are examples of NOT adaptations?
mutations, genetic drift
What are the two steps of evolution?
The generation of genetic variation by mutation and recombination.
CHanges in allele frequency due to genetic drift or natural selection
Examples of homologous structures
Pentadactyl limb and tetrapod
Example of ring species
herring and lesser black-backed gulls in northern Europe and the Ensatina salamanders of California.
