Exam 5 chapter 25

Question 1

What is evolution

Answer 1

A heritable change in one or more characteristics of a population from one generation to the next

Question 2

What was the idea of special creation

Answer 2

Species are independent (unrelated) – each species created independently
Life on Earth is young (approximately 6000 years old)
Species are immutable (no change; they are staying the same throughout time)

Question 3

Describe Aristotle and the great chain of being

Answer 3

Species were organized into a fixed sequence based on increasing size and complexity
Humans were at the top of the chain
So, some species are higher, i.e. more complex or better than others

Question 4

Who was the first to propose a formal theory of evolution? What was his theory

Answer 4

Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck
Simple organisms originate at the base of the great chain of being by spontaneous generation
Organisms evolve by moving up the chain over time
Lamarckian evolution is thus progressive – always producing better species

Question 5

Describe what is meant by inheritance of acquired characteristics

Answer 5

Individuals’ phenotype changes in response to environmental challenges. Then these changes are passed onto their offspring.
Ex: muscles and giraffes

Question 6

What is a population

Answer 6

A population consists of individuals of the SAME species living in the SAME area at the SAME time.

Question 7

Darwin described evolution as

Answer 7

descent with modicfication

Question 8

recent analyses of the fossil record suggest that 99+% of species that have ever lived are now extinct

Answer 8

true

Question 9

Which of the following scientists developed a theory of evolution that was very similar to Charles Darwin’s

Answer 9

Alfred Wallace

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a vestigial trait

Answer 10

Eye sockets in eyeless cave fish

Question 11

List 2 examples of organisms changing through time (AKA evolving

Answer 11

Bacteria evolving resistance to drugs

Insects have evolved resistance to pesticides

Question 12

Define homology

Answer 12

Having similar characteristics with different organisms due to a common ancestor.
Ex: human and bat forelimbs

Question 13

Convergent evolution

Answer 13

organisms not closely related evolve similar characteristics due to similar environmental conditions

Question 14

genetic homology

Answer 14

A similarity in the DNA nucleotide sequences, RNA nucleotide sequences, or amino acid sequences

Question 15

Developmental homology

Answer 15

Similarities seen in embryos of different species.

Ex: tails and gill pouches are found in the embryos of chickens, humans and cats

Question 16

What is speciation

Answer 16

Process that results in one species splitting into two or more descendant species

Question 17

Describe the difference between natural vs. artificial selection

Answer 17

Essentially the same process except in artificial selection, man is selecting for certain traits in plants and animals and breeds to enhance that trait; usually much quicker than natural selection. Natural selection is when organisms better adapted to their environment (more fit) tend to survive and produce more offspring

Question 18

Fitness

Answer 18

ability of an individual to produce surviving, fertile offspring relative to that ability in other individuals in the population

Question 19

Adaption

Answer 19

heritable trait that increases an individual’s fitness in a particular environment relative to individuals lacking that trait; adaptations increase fitness

Question 20

Evolution is a change in the ___frequencies of a population over tim

Answer 20

allele

Question 21

Which of the following is not an example of evolution through natural selection

Answer 21

Humans visiting high elevation regions develop a higher density of red blood cells

Question 22

Do organisms sacrifice themselves for the good of the species

Answer 22

NO. Individuals with alleles that cause self-sacrificing behavior die and do not produce offspring, so these alleles are eliminated from the population

Question 23

Does evolution act on individuals

Answer 23

no. selection acts on individuals and evolution acts on populations

Question 24

Is acclimatization adaptation

Answer 24

NO. Acclimatization occurs when an individual’s phenotype changes in response to changes in the environment. The individual’s genotype remains fixed. Changes not passed on the offspring because no alleles have changed.

Question 25

Are certain species higher than others

Answer 25

No. all evolved from a common ancestor

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT an example of a fitness trade off

Answer 26

Plants with yellow flowers can produce a great number of seeds