Ch. 11 Evolution Flashcards
Microevolution
the changes in a single gene pool
Macroevolution
the appearance of a major evolutionary development or a new species.
Speciation can occur in two ways.
Anagenesis or phyletic evolution : once species replaces another.
Cladogenesis or branching evolution: when a new species branches out from a parent species.
Evidence for evolution : six areas
- fossil record
- comparative anatomy
- comparative biochemistry
- Comparative embryology
5 Molecular biology - Biogeoraphy
Evidence for evolution: 1. Fossil record
radioactive dating and half-life indicate that the earth is about 4.6 billion years old. Prokaryotes were the first organisms to develop on earth and they are the oldest fossils.
Comparative anatomy - Homologous structures
Have a common origin and reflect a common ancestry. The wing of a bat, the lateral fin of a whale, and the human arm all have the same internal bone structure, although the function of each varies.
Comparative anatomy - Analogous stuctures
such as a bat’s wing and a fly’s wing have the same function. However, the similarity is superficial and reflects an adaptation to similar environments, not descent from a recent common ancestor
Comparative anatomy - Vestigial(남아있는) structures
such as the appendix are evidence that structures have evolved. The appendix is a vestige of a structure needed when human ancestors ate a very different diet.
Comparative biochemistry
The more closely related the organisms are to each other, the more similar their biochemistry is. Humans and mice are both mammals. This close relationship is the reason that medical researchers can test new medicines on mice and extrapolate the results to humans.
Comparative Embryology
Closely related organisms go through similar stages in their embryonic development. ex) all vertebrate embryos go through a stage in which they have gill pouches on the sides of their throats. In fish, the gill pouches develop into gills. In mammals, they develop into eustachian tubes in the ears.
Molecular biology
Since all aerobic organisms contain cells that carry out aerobic cell respiration, they all contain the polypeptide cytochrome c. A comparison o the amino acid sequence of cytochrome c among different organisms shows which organisms are most closely related. The cytochrome c in human cells is almost identical to that of our closest relatives the chimpanzee and gorilla but differs from that of a pig.
Biogeography
The theory of continental drift states that about 200 million years ago, the continents were locked together in a single supercontinent called Pangea. which slowly separated into seven continents over the course of 150 million years. study of the location of marsupial fossils and the geographic distribution of living marsupial s which is limited almost exclusively to Australia, confirms this theory.
Historical context for evolutionary theory
Aristotle spoke for the Ancient world with his Scala Natura: all life-forms can be arranged on a ladder of increasing complexity, each with its own allotted rung. the species are permanent and do not evolve. Humans are at the pinnacle of this ladder of increasing complexity.
Carolus Linnaeus or Carl von Linne
Specialized in taxonomy, the branch of biology( naming and classifying the diverse forms of life). He believed that scientists should study life and that a classification system would reveal a divine plan.
The naming system used today: binomial nomenclature.
-Genus name and a species name. the scientific name of humans is Homo sapiens.
Cuvier
studied fossils and realized that each stratum(지층) of earth is characterized by different fossils. He believed that a series of catastrophes(재앙) was responsible for the changes in the organisms on earth and was a strong opponent of evolution.
James Hutton
Theory of gradualism. Stated that the earth had been molded not by sudden, violent events but by slow gradual change. the effects of wind, weather, and the flow of water formed the various geologic features on earth, such as mountain ranges and canyons.
Lyell
stated that geological change results from slow, continuous actions.
Lamarck
a contemporary of Darwin who also developed a theory of evolution. His theory relies on the ideas of inheritance of acquired characteristics and use and disuse. Individual organisms change in response to their environment. ex) Giraffe developed a long neck because it ate leaves of the tall acacia tree for nourishment and had to stretch to reach them. This may seem funny today, it was accepted in the early 19th century.
Wallace
essay discussing the process of natural selection identical to Darwin’s. which had not yet been published.
Darwin
Theory of natural selection or descent with modification as the mechanism for how populations evolve, but he did not publish them. Perhaps he was afraid of the furor(열광적칭찬) his theories would cause. He finally published “on the origin of the species”