Evolution Flashcards
Explain Natural Selection as proposed by Charles Darwin.
Over time, populations will lose organism that don’t have favorable characteristics.
Outline an example of natural selection.
Blue and Green bugs live together in a community. When the birds living nearby eat, they favor the green bugs. Over time, the green bugs die out and only blues are left
Explain how Charles Lyell, Thomas Malthus and farmers influenced Darwin.
Charles Lyell’s book The Principles of Geology convinced Darwin that the Earth is very old and its surface is constantly changing. The economist Thomas Malthus published an essay that stated how individuals compete when resources are limited. Farmers used artificial selection to mold crops into what they wanted, which is like Darwin’s Natural Selection, only forced.
Explain, using an example, how a population evolves.
Giraffes with longer necks were able to reach food easier, thus causing the giraffes with shorter necks to not be able to reach their food, causing them to die.
List and explain the 4 main lines of evidences for evolution that support Evolution.
1) The fossil record shows us relationships and differences between the dead organisms and a living organism. 2) Comparative Anatomy is the comparison of how the same bone structure has evolved between organisms to suit their needs. 3) Embryology is the study of similarities and differences in the embryotic development of different species. 4) Molecular Comparisons compare the similarities and differences between two organisms’ DNA, amino acids, and proteins.
Describe stabilizing, directional & disruptive selection.
Stabilizing selection is the selection that favors the group of organisms in the middle of the gamut of variability. Directional selection is the selection that favors the group of organisms at the one end of the spectrum of variability. Disruptive selection is the selection that favors the group of organisms at both extremes of the variety, but not in the middle.
Compare relative dating and radiometric dating of fossils.
Relative dating is using another fossils found in the fossil record to see if it is old or young, in comparison to another fossil. Radiometric dating is the comparison of Carbon-12 to Carbon-14 to find out the exact age of the fossil.
List and explain examples of reproductive isolating mechanisms which lead to speciation.
Allopatric Isolation is when a group a population gets geographically isolated from the rest. Sympatric Isolation is when genetic s cause a group of a population to change, in the presence of the rest.
Outline the difference between prezygotic and postzygotic barriers
Prezygotic Barriers are isolations that occur before the formation of a zygote. Postzygotic barriers are isolations that occur after the formation of a zygote.
Define and/or differentiate between the biological, morphological & phylogenetic species
concepts.
The biological concept of species states that an organism is its own species if it can interbreed and produce viable and fertile offspring. The morphological concept of species identifies different species based on forms. The phylogenetic concept of species defines a species based on its genetic history by using DNA and proteins.
Define speciation.
Speciation is the emergence of a new species.
Differentiate between microevolution and macroevolution.
Microevolution is natural selection in a single population. Macroevolution is natural selection that leads to the evolution of a new species.
List the levels of taxa in order from highest to lowest.
Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
State which taxon contains the most related organisms.
Species
State which taxon contains the least related organisms.
Domain
