Introduction to evolution Flashcards
What are the 5 main sources of evidence for evolution?
The fossil record, homology, vestigal structures, biogeography and direct observation.
What is evolution?
When a characteristic evolves for one function and gets co-opted for other functions.
What is evidence for the evolution of humans from chimpanzees?
The differing cranial capacities - 400 for chimpanzees and 1400/1600 for humans.
What is a crown group?
Contains all living mammals. Useful but extinct animals need to be known in order to class all living mammals.
What is a stem group?
All extinct mammals. This is useful to document how the crown group evolved.
What are monotremes?
Mammals that lay eggs but display other characteristic features of mammals such as the platypus and echidna. They should have not survived through evolution.
What are homologous characters?
Characters that were inherited from ancestors. They have the same underlying structure despite different superficial appearances.
What are hox genes?
Genes that have been highly conserved throughout species despite evolution. They play a key part in the formation of the body plan and are usually the same in many different animals.
What is convergent evolution?
When features do not have the same genetic origin but develop in a similar way due to the evnvironment such as the camera eye lens.
What is an example of convergent evolution?
The hummingbird hawk moth and the hummingbird.
What are vestigal structures?
Remnants of evolution that have not yet disappeared, such as the anal tail.
