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Final Exam Flashcards

1
Q

Homologous structures

A

similar physical features in organisms that share a common ancestor, but the features serve completely different functions

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2
Q

Convergent evolution

A

independent appearance of similar characters (not due to common
ancestry)

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3
Q

relative dating

A

oldest rock is on the bottom, youngest
on top, features that cut across rock are younger than the rock they cut

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4
Q

What is the age of Earth?

A

4.6 Billion years

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5
Q

Order of the eons

A

Hadean
Archean
Proterozoic
Phanerozoic

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6
Q

Order of the eras

A

Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic

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7
Q

Order of the periods

A

Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Carboniferous
Permian
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
Quaternary

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8
Q

What are the 4 postulates?

A
  1. Individuals within a population have varying traits
  2. These variations are heritable
  3. Some individuals have more success at surviving than others
  4. The variation in traits is the reason why some are better at surviving than others
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9
Q

Individual fitness

A

the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment as compared to other individuals

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10
Q

Adaptation

A

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

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11
Q

Natural selection acts on ________, but the consequences occur in _________

A

Individuals, Populations

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12
Q

What are the 3 domains

A

Bacteria, Archea, Eukarya

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13
Q

Sister taxa

A

the taxa that are the closest relatives to each other compared to the rest of the taxa

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14
Q

Primordial form

A

first living thing

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14
Q

Reversal

A

loss of traits in a lineage

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15
Q

LUCA

A

Last universal common ancestor

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16
Q

RNA world hypothesis

A

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.

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17
Q

The Universal Gene-Exchange Pool Hypothesis

A

-Universal gene pool, rather than self-replication
-Lateral gene transfer
-non-Darwinian mechanism of communal evolution

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18
Q

The Ring of Life Hypothesis

A

-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

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19
Q

The Chronocyte Hypothesis

A

-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

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20
Q

The Three Viruses, Three Domains Hypothesis

A

-Explains switch from RNA to DNA
- Each domain came from a virus

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21
Q

Permineralizaton

A

process of fossilization of bones and tissues in which mineral deposits form internal casts of organisms

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22
Q

Replacement fossil

A

occurs when the original shell or bone dissolves away and is replaced by a different mineral

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23
Q

Natural molds and casts

A

preserve a three-dimensional impression of remains buried in sediment

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24
Trace fossils
the preserved paths of animals that crawled on and bored or burrowed into the seafloor
25
Taphonomy
study of fossilization process
26
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
27
Stasis
new species that appear and persist for millions of years without apparent change
28
Which classes are amniotes?
Reptiles, Mammals, and Aves
29
Population
a group of interbreeding individuals and their offspring
30
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium principle
1. allele frequencies in a population will not change from generation to generation 2. 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
31
Assumptions crucial for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
1. No selection 2. No mutation 3. No migration 4. No chance event (no genetic drift) 5. Random mating
32
Natural selection is one of the strongest mechanism of evolution when it acts on _____
- recessive alleles that are common within a population - rare dominant alleles
33
Rare recessive alleles ________
can stay hidden in heterozygotes
34
Overdominance
heterozygote superiority
35
Underdominanace causes _____ variation within a population
Decreased
36
Mutation is a _____ mechanism of evolution
weak
37
Mutation-selection balance
Mutation introduces constantly new versions of alleles, while selection removes deleterious ones and keeps around advantageous ones
38
migration is a ______ mechanism of evolution
strong
39
genetic drift is one of the most important mechanisms of evolution only in _________________
small populations
40
Most common type of non-random mating is __________
inbreeding
41
Directional selection
fitness consistently increases (or decreases) with the value of a trait, Reduces variation (usually not dramatically though)
42
Stabilizing selection
individuals with intermediate values of a trait have the highest fitness, Reduces variation (cuts off the ‘tails’ of a trait’s distribution), Does not alter average value of a trait
43
Disruptive selection
individuals with extreme values of a trait have the highest fitness, Increases variance, i.e. more even distribution of populations among trait variation scale (trims off the top of a trait’s distribution), Does not alter average value of a trait
44
Sexual Dimorphism
differences between sexes
45
Intersexual selection
female choice
46
intrasexual selection
male-male competition
47
Mutual benefit
The actor and the recipient both benefit
48
Selfishness
only the actor benefits
49
Altruism
only the recipient benefits
50
spite
neither the actor nor the recipient benefits
51
Hamilton's rule
rB>C B= Benefit to recipient r= relatedness C= Cost to the actor
52
Direct Fitness
results from reproduction an individual achieves on its own, without help from related individuals
53
Indirect fitness
Indirect fitness is about genes spreading through helping relatives, not just through having offspring, showing how family-focused behaviors can boost genetic success
54
inclusive fitness
an organism's genetic success is believed to be derived from cooperation and altruistic behaviour
55
Kin selection
Natural selection that spreads alleles that increase indirect fitness
56
reciprocal altruism
a behaviour whereby an organism acts in a manner that temporarily reduces its fitness while increasing another organism's fitness, with the expectation that the other organism will act in a similar manner at a later time
57
Conditions for reciprocal altruism to evolve
- groups are stable - many opportunities for altruism throughout lifetime - individuals have good memories - roughly equivalent costs and roughly equivalent benefits exchanged
58
Eusociality
Eusociality is a social structure found in insects and some mammals where there's cooperation in raising offspring, division of labor, and non-reproductive members supporting reproductive individuals, all driven by genetic relatedness
59
Haplodiploidy
a sex-determination system in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, and females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid
60
Morphospecies (or Morphological Species) Concept
Based on morphological similarities and differences
61
Biological Species Concept
Based on Reproductive Isolation (i.e. a population is defined as a separate biological species if it is reproductively isolated from other populations and no regular hybridization occurs nor are they capable of producing fertile offspring when hybridization does occur)
62
Events leading to new species forming
isolation of populations > divergence in traits > reproductive isolation
63
secondary contact
When the divergent populations come into contact
64
Physical isolation as a barrier to gene flow can be ______
1. allopatric speciation by dispersal 2. allopatric speciation by vicariance
65
Other mechanism of isolation besides physical isolation
sympatric speciation
66
allopatric speciation by dispersal
when a few members of a species move to a new geographical area
67
allopatric speciation by vicariance
when a geographic barrier arises, disrupting the gene flow between subpopulations
68
sympatric speciation
evolution of a new species from a surviving ancestral species while both continue to inhabit the same geographic region
69
Mechanisms of Divergence
1. Natural selection 2. Sexual selection 3. Genetic drift
70
Possible outcomes of secondary contact/hybridization
1.Reinforcement 2.Selection favors hybrids 3.Hybrid zones
71
Reinforcement
process of speciation where natural selection increases the reproductive isolation between two populations of a species
72
Mechanisms of reinforcement
prezygotic isolation and postzygotic isolation
73
postzygotic isolation
hybrid offspring sterile, infertile, or reduced fitness
74
prezygotic isolation
fertilization prevented, zygotes do not form
75
End Ordovician Extinction
- Sea levels rise and fall dramatically - continental erosion changes atmosphere and ocean chemistry - 80% extinction
76
Late Devonian Extinction
- land plants consume CO2 leading to global cooling - nutrients released into the sea - depletion of oxygen - 75% extinction
77
End Permian Extinction
- Volcanic activity in Siberia - Large clouds of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide - acid rain, ocean acidification, global warming - 96% extinction
78
Triassic Extinction
- underwater volcanic activity - ocean acidification and global warming - 80% extinction
79
Cretaceous Extinction
- Asteroid impact caused superheating - 78% extinction

Evolution (3 decks)

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