Evolution Flashcards

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1
Q

What is evolution?

A

Evolution is the change over time in the proportion of individuals in a population differing in one or more inherited traits.

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2
Q

What happens during evolution?

A

During evolution, changes in allele frequency occur through the non-random processes of natural selection and sexual selection, and the random process of genetic drift.

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3
Q

What does natural selection act on?

A

Natural selection acts on genetic variations in populations.

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4
Q

Do populations produce more offspring than the environment can support?

A

Yes, populations produce more offspring than the environment can support.

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5
Q

Who is more likely to be better suited to their environment, individuals with variations or without variations and why?

A

Individuals with variations that are better suited to their environment tend to survive longer and produce more offspring, breeding to pass on those alleles that conferred an advantage to the next generation.

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6
Q

What is sexual selection?

A

Sexual selection is the non-random process involving the selection of alleles that increase the individual’s chances of mating and producing offspring.

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7
Q

What can sexual selection lead to?

A

Sexual selection may lead to sexual dimorphism.

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8
Q

What can selection be caused by?

A

Sexual selection can be due to male-male rivalry and female choice.

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9
Q

How does genetic drift occur?

A

Genetic drift occurs when chance events cause unpredictable fluctuations in allele frequencies from one generation to the next.

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10
Q

In what type of population is genetic drift important?

A

Genetic drift is more important in small populations, as alleles are more likely to be lost from the gene pool.

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11
Q

What is population bottleneck?

A

Population bottlenecks occur when a population size is reduced for at least one generation, by natural disaster, hunting or habitat destruction. This leaves a small group of organisms possessing a limited range of alleles.

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12
Q

What makes the founder effect happen?

A

The founder effect occurs through the isolation of a few members of a population from a larger population.

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13
Q

Why is the founder effect important in genetic drift?

A

When a small number of individuals break away from a large population for some random reason it leads to a limited number of alleles being represented in the smaller ‘founder’ population. The gene pool of the new population is not representative of that in the original gene pool.

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14
Q

How is a gene pool altered by genetic drift?

A

A gene pool is altered by genetic drift because certain alleles may be under-represented or over-represented and allele frequencies change.

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15
Q

What is evolution like when selection pressures are strong?

A

When selection pressures are strong, the rate of evolution can be rapid.

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16
Q

What does the Hardy-Weinberg (HW) principle state?

A

The Hardy-Weinberg principle states that, in the absence of evolutionary influences, allele and genotype frequencies in a population will determine whether a change in allele frequencies in a population will remain constant over the generations.

17
Q

What can the Hardy Weinberg principle be used for?

A

The hardy weinberg principle can be used to determine whether a change in allele frequency is occurring in a population over time.

18
Q

What does change suggest?

A

Change suggests that evolution is occuring.

19
Q

What does fitness indicate?

A

Fitness is an indication of an individuals ability to be successful at surviving and reproducing.

20
Q

What does fitness refer to?

A

It refers to the contribution made to the gene pool of the next generation by individual genotypes.

21
Q

What is absolute fitness?

A

Absolute fitness is the ratio between the frequency of individuals of a particular genotype after selection, to those before selection.

22
Q

What is relative fitness?

A

Relative fitness is the ratio of the number of offspring per individual of a particular genotype to the number of offspring per individual of the most successful genotype.

23
Q

What is co-evolution?

A

Co-evoltution is a process by which two or more species evolve in response to the selection pressures imposed by each other.

24
Q

What acts as a selection pressure on other species?

A

A change in traits of one species acts as a selection pressure on the other species.

25
Q

Where is co-evolution frequently seen?

A

Co-evolution is frequently seen in pairs of species that have symbiotic interactions.

26
Q

How can co-evolutionary relationships be impacted for the individuals involved?

A

The impacts of these relationships can be positive, negative or neutral for the individuals involved?

27
Q

What are types of symbiotic interactions?

A

Mutualism, commansalism and parasitism are types of symbiotic interactions

28
Q

What does the red queen hypothesis state?

A

The red queen hypothesis states that in a co-evolutionary relationship, change in the traits of one species can act as a selection pressure on the other species.

29
Q

What does the Red Queen Hypothesis mean?

A

This means that species in these relationships must adapt to avoid extinction.