Chapter 1: Science of Zoology & Evolution of Animal Diversity Flashcards
What is the keystone of all biological knowledge?
Evolution
What indicates a short evolutionary time scale?
Changes in genetic trait frequencies within a population
What indicates a long evolutionary time scale?
Speciation
Life’s history is a legacy of ____ change.
perpetual
What type of evolution is irreversible?
Organic
The scientific study of animals is referred to as?
Zoology
What specific diagram or process is used to depict history of evolution?
Phylogenic tree or phylogeny
Where are the earliest known animals located on a phylogenetic tree?
Trunk
Where are the most recent animals located on a phylogenetic tree?
Branches
List the essential characteristics of science ( 5 )
1) Guided by natural law
2) Must be explanatory by natural law
3) Testable
4) Conclusions are tentative (not final)
5) Falsifiable
What topics in science can conclusions NOT be made about?
Supernatural beings/forces
What is the process used for testing ideas through experiments and observations called?
The scientific method
What is the first 3 steps of scientific method?
1) Ask a question
2) Conduct research
3) Form a hypothesis
What are the two approaches to forming a hypothesis?
Inductive & Deductive
Inductive reasoning combines ____ ____ into a cohesive whole
Isolated facts
Dog A & Dog B have fleas
So, all observed dogs have fleas
Conclusion: All dogs have fleas
This is an example of what kind of reasoning?
Inductive
Deductive reasoning uses a general statement to reach a ____ ____ conclusion
specific logical
Deductive reasoning uses a what?
Preexisting theory
Hypothesis: All dogs in the apartment have fleas
Collect Data
Conclusion/ Analyze: 10/20 dogs did not have fleas
This is an example of what kind of reasoning?
Deductive
After step 3 (hypothesis) what must you do in the scientific method?
Test hypothesis with an experiment
A ___ sample size = more confident outcome
larger
What elements contribute to a well-designed experiment?
Sample size, controls
What is a mathematical tool that uses probability to estimate data reliability?
Statistics
After you analyze data and form a conclusion what should you do with your results?
Communicate them to others
What are the two categories that scientific questions hope to answer?
Proximate and ultimate causes
Proximate causes focus on what?
Functioning of a system that happens at a particular time and place
Ultimate causes focus on what?
Processes that have produced systems and evolved through time
Ultimate causes uses what method?
Comparative method
The comparative method uses ____ to test hypotheses
patterns
Who were the first biologists to establish evaluation as a powerful scientific theory?
Charles Darwin & Alfred Wallace
What are fossils?
Evidence of former life
Did Darwin and Wallace establish the concept of evolution?
No, they took the next steps to developing it as a theory
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution can be divided into ____ theories
5
What are the 5 theories Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is divided into?
Perpetual Change, Common Descent, Multiplication of Species, Gradualism, & Natural Selection
What is perpetual change?
Explains that the world has been continually changing over history; organisms undergo Modification
What does common descent state?
All forms of life propagated from a common ancestor ( Look at phylogenic tree)
What does multiplication of species state?
Evolution produces new species by splitting and transforming older ones
___ is the division of species geographically from one another that causes different evolutionary changes in the same species
Divergence
Divergence is related to which theory?
Multiplication of Species
After continued division for thousands of years once the same species will now be 2 different ones and will not be able to ____ with each other
reproduce
What does gradualism state?
Large differences in traits in species originate by the accumulation of many small changes.
What does natural selection state?
Populations will accumulate more favorable characteristics in an effort to survive
What are favorable characteristics that help species survive also called?
Adaptations
Natural selection contains 2 components. What are they
Random & Nonrandom Component
The random component of natural selection produces ____ between organisms.
variation
The nonrandom component of natural selection focuses on the ____ of traits
persistence
What happens to traits through generations?
They increase in frequency ( b/c they are advantageous)
The same organ in different organisms with varying forms and functions is called
Homology
What are homologous structures?
Characteristics inherited with some modifications
What is an example of homologous structures?
Human arm VS horse legs VS bat wings
What are analogous structures?
Characteristics in different organisms that perform similar functions that were not inherited from the same ancestor
What is an example of analogous structures?
Shark fin (fish) VS Penguin wing (bird) VS Dolphin flipper ( mammal)
Analogous structures evolved independently via ____ evolution
Convergent
The formation of species is called
speciation
Species are categorized when members of the species interbreed and have a shared ___ ___
gene pool
What are reproductive barriers?
Biological characteristics that prevent species from interbreeding
What is an example of reproductive barriers?
Mountains between lakes
____ had a huge impact on whether gene pools mix
Geography
When a physical barrier subdivides a larger population this is called
Allopatric speciation
How many stages are there of allopatric speciation?
2 stages
What are the two stages of allopatric speciation?
Geographical separation & Reproductive separation
The stage of allopatric speciation, ____, prevents gene flow
Geographical separation
The stage of allopatric speciation, _____, is when distinct mutations occur
Reproductive separation
Adaptive radiation is an example of which of Darwin’s Theories
Multiplication of Species
What is adaptive radiation?
Rapid speciation that produces a cluster of closely related species
What is an example of adaptive radiation?
Galapagos Finches
What does gradualism propose?
That if a new species arises in a single, sudden, or catastrophic event we should see it happen
What is an example of gradualism?
Sport mutations: ancon (dwarf) sheep that could not jump fences
The argument against gradualism is titled?
Punctuated equilibrium
Chromosomal theory of inheritance states that
nuclear chromosomes are the physical bearers of genetic material
What are scientists who study variation in natural populations using statistics are called
population geneticists
Evolutionary changes in frequencies of variant forms of genes without populations is called
microevolution
What is macroevolution?
Evolution on a grand scale
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is an example of which form of evolution?
Microevolution
Physical variation from generation to generation is called
phenotypic variation
What are alleles?
variant forms of a single gene
All alleles possessed by a population are collectively gathered in a
gene pool
What does the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium calculate?
Genotype and allele frequencies
In order for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to remain in effect how many conditions must be met?
5 conditions
What are the 5 conditions that must be met for the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium to remain in effect?
1) Random Mating
2) No mutations
3) No gene flow
4) No genetic drift
5) No natural selection
Microevolution can be detected and measured by the amount of ____ that occurs in HW equilibrium
deviation
When does random mating occur?
When individuals select mates and pair by chance
What is inbreeding?
When genetically related individuals mate with each other
What is the problem with inbreeding?
Recessive phenotypes become more common and lead to disease/disorder
Spontaneous but permanent genetic changes are
Mutations
What is genetic drift?
Random changes in allele frequencies due to unpredictable events
What is a negative of genetic drift?
It can eliminate alleles in small populations because only a few individuals contribute to the overall gene pool
What is Population bottleneck?
Catastrophic reduction in a population
What is the founder effect?
When certain members of a population leave and re-colonize somewhere new with no access to their original position
What occurs more frequently in founder populations?
Rare alleles
The movement of alleles by migration of breeding individuals is called
gene flow
Gene flow occurs in two ways, what are they?
emigration and immigration
In directional selection which trait is favored?
Extreme trait
Resistance to antibiotics and insecticides are examples of which type of selection?
Directional
In Stabilizing Selection which trait is favored?
Average trait
Swiss Starling’s egg clutch size of 4 to 5 is an example of which type of selection?
Stabilizing
In disruptive selection what traits are favored?
2 or more extreme traits
What is polymorphism?
Occurrence of different forms in a population of the same species
British land snails are an example of which type of selection
Disruptive
What are the 4 types of natural selection?
Directional, Stabilizing, Disruptive, Sexual
Male competition for access to females and choice of mates is an example of what type of natural selection
Sexual Selection
Sexual selection is made up of 2 processes. What are they?
Intersexual and intrasexual
What is intersexual selection based on?
Interactions between males and females
What is intrasexual selection based on?
Interactions between members of the same sex
How many instances of mass extinction have there been?
5
The movement of continents is
continental drift
What causes continental drift?
Plate tectonics
