evolution - exam 4 Flashcards
evolution
heritable change in a population across many generations
small scale evolution
change in a single gene
large scale evolution
change above the species levels
why study evoltuion
medicine
crops
history & diversity of life
uniformitarianism
theory that explains the changes in Earth’s crust during geological history as a result of the action of continuous uniform process
small scale processes
large period of time
erosion, deposition, compaction, & uplift
catastrophism
theory that explains the changes in Earth’s geological crust during geological history as a result of sudden, violent, & unusual events
large scale processes
short period of time
floods, rapid formations of mountains
influenced by theology
Lamarck
life evolves by the inheritance of acquired characteristics
what led Darwin to his theory about evolution
organisms were more like organisms found near by then like organisms far away but living in a similar environment
what did Darwin decide about animals on islands
originally came form the mainland & then adapted features to better suit their new environment
extant
currently living
endemic
species unique to a defined geographic location
what theory did Darwin come up with
natural selection
natural selection
individuals w/ certain variants of a trait tend to survive & reproduce more than individuals w/ less successful variance
= population evolves
fitness
the ability of an organism to pass its genes to the next generation
includes: surviving, finding a mate, reproducing
artificial selection
selective breeding by humans for more desirable traits
size, color, behavior
