Evolution Flashcards
Why study non-human animals?
Simularities across species in brain structure and function
Comparative studies
Animal models
Darwinian theory
Characteristics have precise functions which are selected for
What will be selected for?
Characteristics that allow the organism to survive and reproduce more successfully
Which animals are in the hominid group?
Humans, chimps, gorillas and orang-utans
What is functionalism?
The concept that the best way to understand biological phenomenon is to try and understand its useful functions
Define natural selection
The process by which inherited traits that confer a selective advantage become more prevalent in the population
What is a mutation?
A change in the genetic information in the chromosome of sperms/eggs which can be passed on
What does a mutation do?
Provide genetic variability
Define selective advantage
A characteristic of an organism that permits it to produc relatively more offspring
Define evolution
Gradual change in the structure and physiology of a species, generally producing more complex organisms as a result of natural selection
Mechanisms of natural selection on Galapagos Islands
Genetics
Environment
Genetic drift and speciation
Some mutations that have selective advantages
Common ancestry (Huxley, 1868)
Birds are the decendents of dinosaurs
What evidence supports the hypothesis that birds are the descendents of dinosaurs?
Many dinosaurs have been discovered to have been feathered
Where did the first hominids appear?
Africa: drier woodland
- Grassland studded with clumps of trees
- Populated by large herbivores and their predators
First hominid to leave Africa and when?
Homo erectus 1.7mya
