Ch20n : development of evolutionary thinking

Question 1

biological evolution

Answer 1

the process by which some individuals in a population experience changes in their DNA and pass those modified instructions to their offsprings

Question 2

natural history

Answer 2

the branch of biology that examines the form and variety of organisms in their natural environments

Question 3

natural theology

Answer 3

a belief that knowledge of god may be acquired through the study of natural phenomena

Question 4

taxonomy

Answer 4

the science of the classification of organisms into an ordered system that indicates natural relationships

Question 5

biogeography

Answer 5

the study of the geographical distributions of plants and animals

Question 6

morphology

Answer 6

the form/shape of an organism

Question 7

vestigial structures + 2 ex

Answer 7

an anatomical feature of living organisms that no longer retain its ancestral function e.g. our coccyx or the fact that pigs have 2 toes that never touch the ground

Question 8

fossil

Answer 8

the remain/traces of an organism of a past geologic age embedded and preserved in Earth’s crust

Question 9

paleobiology

Answer 9

the study of ancient organisms

Question 10

catastrophism

Answer 10

the theory that Earth has been affected by sudden, violent events that were sometimes worldwide in scope

Question 11

gradualism

Answer 11

the view that Earth and its living systems changed slowly over its history

Question 12

uniformitarianism

Answer 12

the concept that the geological processes that sculpted Earth’s surface over long period of times- such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, erosion, and the formation and movement of glaciers- are exactly the same as the processes observed today

Question 13

artificial selection

Answer 13

selective breeding of organisms to ensure that certain favorable/desirable traits appear at higher frequencies in successive generations

Question 14

natural selection

Answer 14

the evolutionary process by which alleles that increase the likelihood of survival and the reproductive output of the individual that carry them become more common in subsequent generations

Question 15

adaptive trait

Answer 15

a genetically based characteristic preserved by natural selection, that increases an organism’s likelihood of survival and its reproductive output

Question 16

evolutionary divergence

Answer 16

a process whereby natural selection or genetic drift causes populations to become more different over time

Question 17

descent with modification

Answer 17

biological evolution

Question 18

population genetics

Answer 18

the branch of science that studies the prevalence and variation in genes among populations of individuals

Question 19

modern synthesis

Answer 19

a unified theory of evolution developed in the middle of the 20th century

Question 20

microevolution

Answer 20

small-scale genetic changes within populations often in response to shifting environmental circumstances or chance events

Question 21

macroevolution

Answer 21

large scale evolutionary patterns in the history of life, producing major changes in species and higher taxonomic groups

Question 22

biological lineage

Answer 22

an evolutionary sequence of ancestral organisms and their descendants

Question 23

historical biogeography

Answer 23

t study of the geographical distributions of plants and animals in relation to their evolutionary history

Question 24

comparative morphology

Answer 24

analysis of the structure of living and extinct organisms

Question 25

homologous traits

Answer 25

characteristics that are similar in 2 species because they inherited the genetic basis of the trait from a common ancestor

Question 26

orthogenesis

Answer 26

an obsolete theory that evolution is goal orientated, striving towards perfect organism

Question 27

Aristotle's ladderlike classification of nature (scala naturae) from simplest to most complex

Answer 27

1. minerals(least complex) 2. plants 3. animals 4. humans 5. gods

Question 28

biblical account of creation in 3 parts

Answer 28

1. organisms were created by god 2. species didn't change over time or become extinct 3. new species could never arise

Question 29

linnaeus is the creator of ....

Answer 29

taxonomy

Question 30

3 reasons that contradict natural theology

Answer 30

1. biogeography: why did some species have limited geographical distributions where as others were wide spread? especially if they were all created in the Garden of Eden 2. comparative morphology: - Buffon: why did vestigial structures exist - if limbs were specially created for different means of locomotion, why didnt the creator use entirely different structures and materials 3. Fossils: relatively simple fossils in lower strata and more complex higher

Question 31

theory of catastrophism (Cuvier) in 2 parts

Answer 31

proposed ... 1. abrupt changes in strata = dramatic shifts in ancient environments 2. fossils = remains of organisms that died in a local catastrophe

Question 32

Lamark theorized 2 mechanisms that fostered evolutionary change

Answer 32

1. principle of use and disuse e. g body parts grow in proportion to how much they are used 2. principle that inheritance of acquired characteristics e. g. long legged wadding birds descended from short legged ancestors that stretched their legs to stay dry

Question 33

rejection of Lamark's 2 principle

Answer 33

1. use and disuse : most structures did not respond in the way he suggested 2. principle that inheritance of acquired characteristics: structural changes acquired during an organism's lifetime are not inherited by off spring

Question 34

4 contributions to the development of evolutionary worldview that Lamark made

Answer 34

1. all species change over time 2. new characteristics are passed from one generation to the next 3. organisms change in response to their environments 4. hypothesized the existence of mechanisms that fostered evolution

Question 35

Hutton's gradualism theory contradicted what theory...

Answer 35

Cuvier's catastrophism

Question 36

what were the 2 hypothesis that Darwin proposed ?

Answer 36

1. The struggle for existence: individuals within a population compete for limited resources . 2. selective breeding and heredity was a form of artificial selection: hereditary characteristics may allow some individuals to survive longer and reproduce more than others

Question 37

3 observations that lead the hypothesis: The struggle for existence

Answer 37

1. most organisms produced more than one/ two offspring 2. populations do not increase in size indefinitely (permanently) 3. food and other resources are limited for most populations

Question 38

2 observations that led to the hypothesis: selective breeding and heredity was a form of artificial selection

Answer 38

1. individuals within populations exhibit variability in many characteristics (size form, color behavior) 2. many variations appear to be inherited by subsequent generations

Question 39

Darwin's prediction

Answer 39

a population's characteristics will change over the generations as advantageous, heritable characteristics become more common

Question 40

In Darwin's theory of descent with modification he proposed that natural selection...

Answer 40

is the mechanism that drives evolutionary change by preserving advantageous traits and eliminating disadvantageous ones

Question 41

the shape of the beaks of Darwin's finches, industrial melanism (pepper moth) and changes in horse teeth are all examples of ...

Answer 41

natural selection

Question 42

4 characteristics distinguish Darwin's theory from earlier explanations of biological diversity and adaptive traits I don't know if this is important

Answer 42

1. he provided purely physical explanations rather than spiritual 2. he recognized evolutionary change occurs in groups of organisms, rather than individuals: some members of the group survive and reproduce more successfully than others 3. he described evolution as a multistage process: variations arise within groups, natural selection eliminates unsuccessful ones and generations inherit successful variations. 4. like Lamark he understood evolution occurs because some organisms function better than others in a particular environment

Question 43

what are the 2 levels of evolutionary change

Answer 43

1. microevolution | 2. macroevolution

Question 44

4 pieces of evidence for evolutionary change with examples

Answer 44

1. adaptation by natural selection - development of pesticide resistance in insects or antibiotic resistance in bacterial infections 2. fossil record e. g. non-flying dinosaurs linked to modern birds because fossils allow for biological lineages to be observed 3. historical biogeography e. g. monkeys in America have many different features than African monkeys 4. comparative morphology e. g. mammoth is 98% similar to the African elephant