Final Exam Flashcards
Homologous structures
similar physical features in organisms that share a common ancestor, but the features serve completely different functions
Convergent evolution
independent appearance of similar characters (not due to common
ancestry)
relative dating
oldest rock is on the bottom, youngest
on top, features that cut across rock are younger than the rock they cut
What is the age of Earth?
4.6 Billion years
Order of the eons
Hadean
Archean
Proterozoic
Phanerozoic
Order of the eras
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic
Order of the periods
Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Carboniferous
Permian
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
Quaternary
What are the 4 postulates?
- Individuals within a population have varying traits
- These variations are heritable
- Some individuals have more success at surviving than others
- The variation in traits is the reason why some are better at surviving than others
Individual fitness
the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment as compared to other individuals
Adaptation
a trait or characteristic of an organism in result to natural selection, i.e. one that increases the fitness relative to individuals without the trait
Natural selection acts on ________, but the consequences occur in _________
Individuals, Populations
What are the 3 domains
Bacteria, Archea, Eukarya
Sister taxa
the taxa that are the closest relatives to each other compared to the rest of the taxa
Primordial form
first living thing
Reversal
loss of traits in a lineage
LUCA
Last universal common ancestor
RNA world hypothesis
Early life may have used RNA instead of DNA as the main genetic material. RNA can store genetic info and catalyze reactions. It likely formed naturally on Earth before DNA-based life emerged. RNA’s dual role suggests it could self-replicate and evolve, leading to the development of DNA-based cells over time.
The Universal Gene-Exchange Pool Hypothesis
-Universal gene pool, rather than self-replication
-Lateral gene transfer
-non-Darwinian mechanism of communal evolution
The Ring of Life Hypothesis
-Bacteria + archea = eukarya
-Eukaryotic genes involved in storage and use of genetic information are more
similar to archaean genes
-Eukaryotic genes involved in storage and use of metabolic activities more
similar to bacterial genes
The Chronocyte Hypothesis
-Separate lineage arose: the lineage that gave rise to Archaea and Bacteria
+ the chronocytes
- Chronocytes eventually evolved a cytoskeleton and the ability to
phagocytose other microbes.
- Chronocytes phagocytosed an Archaen and developed endosymbiotic
relationship, which gave rise to the nucleus, which in turn gave rise to the
first Eucarya
- Eucarya acquired mitochondrion and chloroplast by endosymbiosis with
bacteria at a later stage
The Three Viruses, Three Domains Hypothesis
-Explains switch from RNA to DNA
- Each domain came from a virus
Permineralizaton
process of fossilization of bones and tissues in which mineral deposits form internal casts of organisms
Replacement fossil
occurs when the original shell or bone dissolves away and is replaced by a different mineral
Natural molds and casts
preserve a three-dimensional impression of remains buried in sediment
Trace fossils
the preserved paths of animals that crawled on and bored or burrowed into the seafloor
Taphonomy
study of fossilization process
Adaptive Radiation
small or single group of ancestral species rapidly diversify into a large number of descendant species, occupying a large variety of ecological niches
Stasis
new species that appear and persist
for millions of years without apparent change
Which classes are amniotes?
Reptiles, Mammals, and Aves
Population
a group of interbreeding individuals and their offspring
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
principle
- allele frequencies in a population will not change from generation to generation
- If the allele frequencies in a population are given by p and q, the genotype frequencies will be given by p^2 , 2pq, and q^2
Assumptions crucial for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
- No selection
- No mutation
- No migration
- No chance event (no genetic drift)
- Random mating