Intro pt1 (Meg- finished) Flashcards
What is macroscopic nudibranch?
example of group of marine mollusks renowned for their unusual shapes + bright coloration
Name some adaptation of macroscopic nudibranches and how can these be explained?
Many contain toxins for defence against predators
Colouration may also be an adaptation to deter potential predators
Scientific explanation = THEORY OF EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION
What is the key feature of HIV looked at by evolutionary biologists?
= rapid evolution that can be random variation but also natural selection taking place to help evade immune systems
What are the 2 forms of HIV in humans and where did they come from?
HIV-1 arose from SIV that infected chimpanzees
HIV-2 arose from SIV that infected sooty mangabev (monkey)
What is this graph showing?
Finland- 1978-1993:
- Increase in the use of penicillin-like antibiotic (blue line)
- Matched by dramatic increase in % of antibiotic-resistant isolates of bacteria
Similar patterns have been seen with HIV resistance to AZT = nowadays multiple drugs involved in order to prevent resistance
How does malaria effect the human genome?
+ 2 examples
Protective polymorphisms to protect against malaria:
- Sickle-cell trait = having this phenotype (only one copy of sickle cell trait) can protect against malaria
- Blood group variant Dantu provides 74% protection against all forms of severe malaria in homozygous individuals
How does Dantu effect the ability of merzoite malaria to invade red blood cells?
- Strong link between RBC tension and merozoite invasion- tension threshold identified where invasion rarely occurs- Dantu RBCs have higher average tension than non-Dantus RBCs = greater proportion resist invasion
What is evolution concerned with?
explaining + understanding the diversity of living things
- History behind diversity? + causes?
What is used to study evolution?
- DNA sequences
- Proteins
- Biochemical pathways
- Embryological development
- Anatomical features
- Behaviours
- Life histories
- Interactions
- Fossils
Name + define the 2 ways of explaining why something happens?
Proximate causes = concerned with physiology of an animal causing an event / behaviour
Ultimate causes = evolutionary cause of an event or behaviour
What are the proximate and ultimate causes of the Marsh vs Grasshopper Warbler sonograms?
Marsh have more complex songs compared with the Grasshopper
Proximate = brain structure of Marsh produces more complex songs
Ultimate = natural selection- females prefer more complex songs = more reproductive success of males with more complex songs
Is evolution a fact or a theory?
Considered to be both- Stephen Jay Gould
Why is evolution considered a fact?
overwhelmingly validated by evidence- based on repeated experimental observations- no debate evolution is a fact
Define: theory
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses
How are theories formed?
from hypotheses repeatedly tested to disprove of falsify them