Evolutionary Theory 1 Flashcards
(46 cards)
1
Q
What is evolution?
A
- change in organisms over generational time - a change in allele frequencies over time
- ongoing biological process
- change in traits of phenotype
- changes in genotype do not always result in changes in phenotype
- genetic/genotype level
2
Q
phenotype
A
- observable trait or characteristic
- physical traits like eye colour, but also things like blood type or hormone levels
- behavioural traits are also phenotypes that are shaped by evolution
- controlled only in part by genotype
3
Q
genotype
A
- genetic component that determines a characteristic (genes/alleles)
- genetic change may not result in phenotypic change
4
Q
microevolution
A
genetic changes within populations that may cause populations of a species to vary in trait frequencies (eg. lactase persistence)
5
Q
macroevolution
A
genetic changes in populations over larger spans of time that may result in the appearance of new species
6
Q
how do we know about evolution?
A
scientific method
7
Q
what does misconceptions and distrust in science create
A
misconceptions and distrust in evolutionary research
8
Q
scientific method
A
- evidence based
- with new evidence ideas are re-evaluated
- often quantitative
- observe and test to understand the world, NOT prove a scenario
- a cycle or series of procedures used in scientific research to gain knowledge and stimulate new information/discoveries
- OBSERVATIONS AND TESTS
- must me repeatable and reproducible
9
Q
what is the cycle of the scientific method
A
10
Q
observation
A
observe directly or take cues from previous research
11
Q
hypothesis
A
- testable explanation of observations
- written as a statement that, if untrue, may be disproven by evidence obtained during data collection
- null hypothesis (claim that effect being studied does not exist)
- alternate hypothesis (opposing theory to null hypothesis, tested to disprove null hypothesis)
12
Q
data collection
A
- process of acquiring new information or evidence
- feasibility versus strength of data field or laboratory based
- two types of data: quantitative and qualitative
13
Q
analysis of information
A
various methods and models
14
Q
interpretation
A
- did the hypothesis explain the observation
- is there evidence and data to support hypothesis, does it accept/reject the null/alternate hypothesis
15
Q
scientific theory
A
- proposed explanations of robust relationships between natural phenomena that collectively help explain patterns in the natural world
- when a hypothesis stands up to repeated testing
- ex. germ theory, evolutionary theory
16
Q
self-correcting
A
- can be altered over time with further experimentation and new technologies
17
Q
biological anthropology as a science
A
- reliance on the scientific method
- interpreted in evolutionary framework
18
Q
biological anthropology as a social science
A
- people cannot be divorced from their social and cultural context
- importance of the biocultural perspective
19
Q
Plato on evolutionary theory
A
- eidos or ‘theory of forms’
- ideal and imperfect worlds
- perfect forms and imperfect manifestations
20
Q
Aristotle on evolutionary theory
A
- system of classifications
- gradation of species in terms of “complexity”
- ladder increasing towards perfection
21
Q
plotinus on evolutionary theory
A
- a single higher transcendent ‘one’
- everything exists in a state of greater or less perfection
22
Q
view from greek philosophy of evolutionary theory
A
- have a ‘proper’ place in natures
- fixity of species and uniformity; species are unchanging, variation either undesired or unimportant
23
Q
scala naturae
A
- ladder of life, great chain of being
- integrating greek philosophy and christian ideas (midieval europe)
24
Q
Al-Jahiz view on evolutionary theory
A
- translation of Aristotle
- struggle for existence
25
Ibn Khaldun on evolutionary theory
- muqaddimah
- different stages of development; abiotic components - plants - animals
- noted similarities and discussed possibility of relationship between primates and humans
26
the scientific revolution
- early 17th century europe
- increasingly questioning the nature of the world
- made observations that led to questioning of earlier ideas
- discovery of the new world, earth is round, earth revolves around the sun and solar system, physics, new scientific instruments
- laying groundwork for development of scientific method and seeking to explain for natural phenomena
27
John Ray
- pastor, naturalist
- classification according to observation
- definition of species through reproductive isolation
28
carolus linnaeus
- taxonomy: description and classifications of life forms
- binomial nomenclature and the systema naturae; standardized genus and species names
- type specimen for our species
29
carolus linnaeus system of classification
- systema naturae; inclusive hierarchical system, general to specific, taxa (units representing different levels of grouping)
30
georges-louis leclerc, comte de buffon
- regional variation in plants and animals
- environmental factors as agents of change
- greater age of the earth; how could all this variation have arisen in a short time period?
31
James ussher
- biblical scholar; chronology
- calculated age of the earth; october 23rd, 4004BC
32
Erasmus darwin
- idea of a common ancestor
- expanses of time
- competition for resources and role of the environment
- zoonomia or 'the laws of organic life'; "the strongest and most active animal should propagate the species, which should thence become improved"
33
jean-baptiste lamarck
- increasing complexity > environment pushing organism to perfection
- proposed a mechanism for evolution
- inheritance of acquired characteristics; use-disuse theory, a trait acquired by an animal during its lifetime can be passed on to offspring
34
james hutton
- Uniformitarianism; the continuity of geological processes
- gradualism; slow and steady change
35
georges cuvier
- extinction; fossils from extinct life forms
- castastrophism; fixity of species
36
charles lyell
- principles of geology
- Consolidated the theory of uniformitarianism; geological processed have remained consistent, rate of processes are constant, so the earth is very old
- defining geological epochs with fossils
37
thomas malthus
- an essay on the principle of population
- populations can increase in size indefinitely without limits in place; i.e. subsistence, diseases
- population increases limited by resource availability; if population exceed food resources - catastrophe
- improvement in conditions>increase in population>competition
38
orgins of evolutionary theory
by early 19th century
- deep time and geological processes
- relationship between environment and variation
- change between generations
- competition for resources
- BUT, no valid mechanism for change between generations or production of variation
39
charles darwin
- darwin and wedgood families; intellectual circles
- University of edinburgh (medicine) ; not for doctor
- university of cambridge (theology); appreciation for natural history
- joined scientific expedition on the HMS beagle; naturalist and gentlemans companion, documentation and chronicling of natural features
40
route of HMS beagle
sailed aroung tip of south america, coast of chile, galapagos islands off the western coast of ecuador
41
HMS beagle
observations
- fossils bear similarities to living species
- huge diversity in living forms
- many parts of the world (galapagos islands)
42
galapagos islands
observations
- some variation in traits in close otherwise similar animals
43
darwin's finches
- each island has its own type of finch
- varied beak size, shape variation, diet
- brought finches back to UK
- explored variation with ornithologist John Gould after return to england
- facilitate resource exploitation in different niches (difference sized seeds etc.)
- had a common mainland ancestor; modified in different island habitats, minimised competition for resources
- observations were curcual to development of idea of evolution due to natural selection
44
evolution by natural selection
when Darwin returned from voyage in 1836, integrated;
- ideas of evolution
- the ideas of thomar malthus about competition for resources
- his observations in the galapagos
- theorized natural selection as a mechanism for evolutioon
45
natural selection
- the process by which some organisms with features that enable them to adapt to the environment preferentially survive and reproduce; results in increase in the frequency of those beneficial features in the population
- can also remove deleterious traits
46
elements of natural selection
- variation exists in all populations
- traits are inherited through reporduction
- there are limited resources, and therefore competition for those resources
