Exam 1 Flashcards
when was Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium discovered?
1908
what is the basis of the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium?
allele and genotype frequencies in a population will remain constant from generation to generation in the absence of other evolutionary influences
Hardy-Weinberg is known as evolution’s ___________
null hypothesis
how do we know/determine if a population is at equilibrium?
- determine the gene frequency in the current generation and determine the expected gene frequency for the next generation
- if in equilibrium, there should be no change between the two generations
measures of genotype can predict __________
allele frequencies
measures of allele frequencies can predict _________
genotype
combined probability that two independent events will occur together is equal to the ______ of their probabilities
product
combined probability of two mutually exclusive events will occur is the ________ of their probabilities
sum
getting EITHER heads or tails on a dime is an example of what type of event? how would you calculate this probability?
- mutually exclusive event
- 1/2 + 1/2 = 1
getting heads on a dime and heads on a penny is an example of what type of event? how would you calculate this probability?
- two independent events
- 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/4
what are the 2 conclusions of HW?
- given HW, the allele frequencies in a population will not change, generation after generation.
- given HW, if the allele frequencies are p and q, then the genotype frequencies will be p^2, 2pq and q^2
For HW to occur, there cannot be…
genetic drift, selection, migration or mutation
T / F : genetic drift does not depend on population size
F
populations losing alleles by chance is an example of
genetic drift
__________ is often referred as evolution due to “blind luck”
genetic drift
T / F : genetic drift’s influence is equally strong in smaller and larger populations
F, stronger in smaller sizes
what is the founder effect?
the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population
what is fitness?
the success of an organism at surviving and reproducing and thus contributing offspring to future generations
define migration
movement of alleles between populations
if some genotypes survive and reproduce at higher rates than others….
allele frequencies will change over time
can migration change allele frequencies?
yes!
can migration produce genotype frequencies that are not consistent with HW?
yes!
what is an example of migration counteracting selection that we talked about?
allele for banded pattern in snakes is not selected out of island populations even though un-banded pattern is more advantageous to the island snakes
migration can prevent ________
divergence
migration leads to ________ between populations
homogenization
match result to mechanism! (mechanisms: HW equilibrium, genetic drift, natural selection, migration, mutation)
result:
1. a certain allele is lost
2. a certain allele enters a population
3. allele frequencies do not change
4. a new genetic variant appears in the population
5. a certain allele becomes less common
- genetic drift
- migration
- HW equilibrium
- mutation
- natural selection
The frequency of two alleles in a gene pool is 0.22 (A) and 0.78(a). Assume that the population is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
(a) Calculate the percentage of heterozygous individuals in the population.
(b) Calculate the percentage of homozygous recessives in the population.
(a) 2 x 0.22 x 0.78 = 0.34 = 34%
(b) 0.78 x 0.78 = 0.61 = 61%
there will be no change in allele frequency if…..
selection is not strong enough and/or initial frequency is not high enough
natural selection results in what type(s) of mutations?
adaptive/advantageous
define adaptations
evolutionary modifications that improve the chances of survival and reproductive success
define natural selection
the mechanism by which better adapted organisms are more likely to survive and become the parents of the next generation
population genetics and natural selection combine to explain _____ and _____ evolution
micro and macro
what are 4 impacts of Darwin’s work?
- gave a single explanation to many separate observations
- provided a dynamic view of species
- showed that man was no longer the pinnacle of life
- classification of organisms along evolutionary lines
what are the two central unifying themes of biology?
- all existing organisms are modified descendants of other organisms (common ancestry)
- natural selection - differential survivorship and reproduction is the main mechanism of evolutionary change
describe the usefulness of stratigraphic columns
can age a fossil based on its location in a formation (older if found deeper down)
describe the usefulness of radiometric dating
can age a fossil due to isotopes decaying at a constant rate
what is considered the main evidence for evolution having occurred?
fossils!
what serves as evidence of evolution in living organisms?
morphology, specifically vestigial structures
what are vestigial structures?
reduced or useless body parts that are evidence of evolution
are vestigial structures evidence of macro or micro evolution?
both!
what are some examples of vestigial strucutres?
- “limbs” in snakes
- tiny wings on the flightless kiwi
- tailbone in human
- pelvis in dolphins and whales
contrast macro and micro evolution
- microevolution refers to small changes over short periods of time within a population
- macroevolution refers to larger changes over a much longer time scale
define homology
similarities due to shared common ancestor
describe the homology of bird wings and bat wings - what are they homologous as?
homologous as forearms, not as wings (because common ancestor did not have wings!)
homologous traits are evidence of
evolution!
define analogy
structures/traits that are similar in function but evolved independently
are the similar structures on a whale and a shark analogous or homologous?
analogous (convergent evolution, did not receive traits from a common ancestor)
define/describe developmental homologies
embryos from different vertebrates are very similar early in development
what are some examples of developmental homologies?
gill pouches and postnatal tails
how is the genetic code evidence of homology?
the same nucleotide triplets or codons specify the same amino acid across almost all organisms
_________ are also another molecular homology that serve as evidence for homology
pseudogenes
T / F : the older the pseudogene is, the more mutations it has
T
how can we determine relation amongst organisms through pseudogene analysis?
can determine if they have a pseudogene in common and if the pseudogene has a lot of mutations, then we know that they have been related for a long time
T / F : similar species are often clustered geographically
T
describe how the deep-sea vent invertebrates that we talked about in class are an example of evolution and biogeography
the organisms that are in the same deep-sea vent are more closely related to each other
define suboptimal design
“accidents” of evolutionary history explain many features that no intelligent engineer would be expected to design
what are some examples of suboptimal design?
- human eye has a blind spot
- food and air crosses in the pharynx of terrestrial vertebrates (why you can choke)
can we watch evolution happening?
yes!
did Darwin believe we could see evolution happening?
no :(
what are some examples of evolutionary changes that we can see happening?
- can see adaptations that organisms are evolving due to human impositions on the planet
- ex: beak length of bugs having to grow in order to get food out of balloon vine fruit
the formation of new species is considered ______evolution
macro
variations within a species is considered ______evolution
micro
what are the postulates of evolution by natural selection?
- individuals within populations vary
- some of the variation is passed on from parents to offspring (through genes)
- in every generation, some individuals are more successful at surviving and reproducing than others
- survival and reproduction are not random, but tied to variation
what is the main “unit” of selection?
the individual
the consequences of selection occur and are measured in __________
populations
how do new traits evolve?
natural selection acts on existing variation (ex: more finches with large beaks arose because there were already finches with large beaks)
natural selection acts on ________ but evolution consists of changes in ___________
phenotypes, allele frequencies
what is an example of co-opting existing traits for new functions?
- the panda’s thumb
- the radial sesamoid bone evolved into a “thumb” as it was beneficial for gripping bamboo
is a panda’s thumb homologous to the thumb of a human? why or why not?
no, it did not come from the same bone
what is inductive reasoning?
a summary of a series of specific observations that lead to a general explanation
what is deductive reasoning?
using general explanations to make specific statements
the classical model of science was based on
induction
what was the “basic tragedy” of the classical model based on induction?
there were certainties that scientists thought they would eventually come to based off of their observations but their observations did not prove these assumed truths
what were the problems with the classical model?
- lack of precision
- unexamined alternatives
- data was theory laden
if you are too credulous…
you accept a hypothesis that is false
in basic science, is it better to be too credulous or too skeptical?
too skeptical
if you are too skeptical…
you reject a hypothesis that is true
say a pesticide is being used to prevent a pest from destroying crops, but there is a hypothesis that the crop is harmful to humans!
assess two ways of making a mistake in your decision. what are the consequences? which mistake is worse? how much evidence is needed before the use of the pesticide?
- accept the hypothesis and it is false (too credulous). this leads to the crops getting eaten by the pests
- reject and it is true (too skeptical). it is used on the crops and people get sick
- worse mistake: kind of a value decision
- evidence needed: 95% sure results are not due to chance
why is it better to be too skeptical rather than too credulous?
science often builds on science, and if people are too credulous, work will be built upon false ideas