L3: Adaptations

Question 1

what are hox genes?

Answer 1

genes for development

Question 2

identify a factor that can impact how development progresses

Answer 2

mutations

Question 3

what is a genotype?

Answer 3

set of genes in DNA responsible for a particular trait

Question 4

what is a phenotype?

Answer 4

physical expression of a trait

Question 5

define an adaptation

Answer 5

a genetic mutation that increases the survival/reproductive rate of an organism

Question 6

what is ontogeny?

Answer 6

development of traits in individuals from DNA to current form

Question 7

compare the synchronic & diachronic view

Answer 7

synchronic - explanation of current form in terms of historic sequence
diachronic - explanation of current form of species

Question 8

compare the ultimate & proximate view

Answer 8

proximate - how an individual organism’s structure function
ultimate - why a species evolved the structures it has

Question 9

what is mechanism?

Answer 9

causation / explains how the structures work

Question 10

what is adaptive value?

Answer 10

function / species trait that solves a reproductive or survival problem in current environment

Question 11

what is phylogeny?

Answer 11

evolution / history of evolution in a species over many generations

Question 12

what is the purpose of sexual ornament/armament adaptions?

Answer 12

increases reproductive success & helps pass on genes

Question 13

describe the theory of sensory bias

Answer 13

theory that ornaments exploit pre-existing biases of individuals

Question 14

what is genotyping?

Answer 14

examining DNA sequences and uncovering genes involved in a trait

Question 15

mutations alter DNA, resulting in a new . . .

Answer 15

amino acids

Question 16

what may the results of mutations be?

Answer 16

neutral
detrimental
beneficial

Question 17

what are the evolutionary constraints?

Answer 17

physics (size, gravity & bones)
pleiotropy (one gene influences several traits)

Question 18

what is antagonistic pleotropy?

Answer 18

one gene is beneficial for one trait, but detrimental for another

Question 19

what is convergent evolution?

Answer 19

evolution of similar adaptations independently in distantly related species

Question 20

what is parallelism?

Answer 20

mutations in the same gene that arise independently (form of convergent evolution)

Question 21

what does macroevolution look at?

Answer 21

evolution of groups rather than individuals (e.g. emergence of tetrapods)

Question 22

how can origins of adaptations be found?

Answer 22

comparing species, genera, etc. & identifying similarities & differences

Question 23

what are hox genes?

Answer 23

genes for development.

Question 24

how do mutations affect development?

Answer 24

change how the development progresses

Question 25

identify the evolutionary constraints

Answer 25

• physics (size vs oxygen tubes, gravity vs bones)
• pleiotropy (one gene influences several traits

Question 26

what is convergent evolution?

Answer 26

the evolution of similar adaptations independently in distantly related species

Question 27

what is antagonistic pleiotropy?

Answer 27

one gene is beneficial for one trait, but detrimental for another

Question 28

compare parallelism vs normal convergent evolution

Answer 28

parallelism refers to mutations in the SAME gene that arise independently
otherwise occurs in DIFFERENT genes

Question 29

what is an eco-morph?

Answer 29

a local variation of a species where the phenotype is determined by the ecological niche it fills