Final Review Flashcards
- What is the central dogma of biology?
The central dogma of biology is the creation of proteins from genes.
Be able to describe the process of transcription and translation.
DNA is read and RNA is formed (transcription) in the nucleus
RNA is read by the ribosome and creates a protein (translation) in the cytoplasm
- codons are read by the ribosome 3-at-a-time starting with the start codon AUG
- tRNA carries amino acids to codons
- From a molecular perspective, how does evolution occur?
- Through mutations, errors in the transcription or translation of genetic code
- Forces of Evolution
a. mutation – only source of variation
b. genetic drift – changes by random chance in small pops, can be caused by founder or bottleneck effects
c. Gene flow – movements of genes from one pop to another
d. Non-random mating – certain genotypes are more likely to mate than others
e. Selection – the result of differential fitness, artificial and natural
- 3 conditions for natural selection
a. Phenotypic variation must exist
b. variation results in different reproductive success
c. variation must be genetically inherited
- What is fitness?
-
The ability to pass on genes
- Hardy-Weinberg assumptions
- Population is large
- Random mating occurs
- No mutation takes place
- No migration happens
- No selection occurs
- Inbreeding depression – types
Close breeding: This is most intensive breeding where animals are very closely related and can be traced back to more than one common ancestor.
Line breeding: Mating animals that are more distantly related which can be traced back to one common ancestor
- Allopatric vs sympatric speciation
Allopatric speciation occurs when a pop becomes isolated into two pops occupying different areas
Sympatric speciation occurs when a pop speciates in the same geographic location
- Be able to describe each type of mating system (monogamy, polygamy, promiscuity, etc.)
Monogamy – a breeding pair stays together for a breeding season or for life
Polygamy – an individual mates with several others
Polygyny – male mates with several females
Polyandry – female mates with several males
Promiscuity – both individuals mate with several others (no pair bonds)
- 6 types of interspecific interactions
a.
Mutualism (++)
b. Parasitism / predation (+-)
c. commensalism (+0)
d. competition (–)
e. ammensalism (0-)
f. Neutralism (00)
- Plant and animal antipredator adaptations
a. Plant:
i. thorns
ii. silica
iii. tannins
b. Animal
i. teeth
ii. spines
iii. cryptic coloration (camouflage)
iv. aposematic coloration (warning)
v. mimicry (batesian and mullerian)
- 3 types of competition
a.
exploitative – a race to the resource
b. interference – directly inhibiting a competitor
c. apparent – competition facilitated by a third species
- What are the benefits / costs of living in a group?
a. Benefits:
i. survival
ii. obtaining food easier
iii. mating easier
b. Costs
i. competition
ii. predation
- Be able to define kin selection theory and inclusive fitness
Kin selection theory states that an individual is more likely to display altruistic behavior towards individuals it is related to
Inclusive fitness = individual fitness + fitness of relatives
- Types of interspecific and intraspecific forms of communication
Smell – pheromone communication Sound – can travel long distances Vision – short distances tactile – grooming Signaling (to) predators Foraging communication
- Dominance behavior and group hierarchies
Dominant males will have the most access to food and females
Sneaker males pretend to be females to mate with them
- Ultimate vs proximate causes of behavior
Proximate cause of dispersal – forced out by parents, involuntary response to increased testosterone
Ultimate cause – increase fitness by avoiding inbreeding depression
- Be able to define ideal free distribution
Ideal free distribution - The higher quality breeding ground will have the highest destiny, the lower quality patch will be less densely populated
It is better to be the first aphid on a smaller leaf than the fifth aphid on the largest
Be able to define Homing, station keeping, ranging, migration, and dispersal
a. homing – the process of getting back to a home range
b. station keeping – normal movements within the home range
c. migration – persistent movement across the landscape in response to seasonal changes
d. dispersal – movement from a natal site to a site where repro occurs
- Why do males disperse more frequently than females in mammals?
Because males have more competition in the dominance hierarchy (polygyny)
- Mule deer dispersal and migration
Males do not disperse more than females do
Exhibit many kinds of migration:
Residents – do not migrate
stopover migrant – stops in another range on the way to migration zone
direct migrant – does not stop on the way
Brief migrant
Asynchronous migrant – migrates at an unusual time
gradual migrant – gradually makes its way to migration range
commuting migrant – makes more than one trip in a year
multi-range (1 trip)
multi-range (>1 trip)
- Why does migration occur?
Proximate cause of dispersal – forced out by parents, involuntary response to increased testosterone
Ultimate cause – increase fitness by avoiding inbreeding depression
Or to find resources depending on the season
- 4 ways that animals orient themselves
-
Path integration
- landmarks or piloting
- celestial cues
- magnetic compass
- Interoparous vs semelparous reproduction
Semelparous – one repro event before death
iteroparous – multiple repro events
- Metatherian vs eutherian reproduction
Metatharian – embryonic marsupial is born very early and fully develops in pouch
Eutherian – embryo develops longer in uterus and Is born more developed
- Be able to describe Bateman’s Gradient
as a result of being anisogamous (different-sized gametes) males have a different investment in reproduction. Males have greater variation in reproductive success.
Poor quality females will be more successful than poor quality males
High quality males will be more successful than high-quality females
- What is the Trivers-Willard Hypothesis?
a. females are able to adjust offspring sex ratio in response to maternal condition.
- What is the relationship between body condition and maternal investment in offspring?
a. The better the body condition, the greater the maternal investment in offspring
- Specifically how this might change depending on the sex of offspring.
- Greater parental investment in males offspring by parents in good condition and greater investment in female offspring by parents in poor condition
- Be able to describe convergent and divergent evolution
Convergent – the independent evolution of similar traits among unrelated species in different areas or different periods of time. CE creates Analogous Structures.
Divergent – the process whereby groups from the same common ancestor accumulate different traits or diverge in character.
