Lecture 1 Flashcards
evolution means
change
Biological evolution
genetic change underlying the properties of groups of organisms over generations
biological evolution key points
genetic inheritable change, need generations/time, need a group of organisms
Essentialism
every species has an essence of which each individual is an imperfect form
Aristotle believed
species were fixed but we could arrange them hierarchically
The great chain of being is
minerals, plants, animals, humans, demons, angles, god
teleological
organisms are designed and have purpose
Special creations
god created each species in the form it has today, gods creations are permanent and unchanging
Carolus Linnaeus
The father of modern taxonomy created binomial nomenclature in his book systems nature, believed that the purpose of natural science was to catalog gods creations
Georges Buffon
Said each species had an unchanging internal mold, proposed that closely related species may have arisen from a common ancestor, and species within a genus had been modified differently by climate conditions
James hutton
Called the father of geology, discovered geological time was longer than previously thought through patterns of deposition and erosion, looked at earths layers and said earth is very old
Georges Cuvier
Worlds expert on anatomy of animals, established extinction as a fact, advocated for catatrophism
Catastrophism
the earth is shaped by biblical catastrophies
Charles lyell
said earth is older but it happened slowly over time (contradicted catastrophism) and wrote the principles of geography, believed in uniformitarianism
uniformitarianism
The earth is shaped by slow moving forces over a very long period of time
Jean Monet
proposed how evolution could happen (was wrong) said change was through use and disuse and could happen over an individual’s lifetime. Example Giraffe necks
Erasmus Darwin
Charles Dawins grandfather, doctor, inventor, supported Lamarck, evolutionary thinker
Charles Darwin
Credited for discovering evolution but he really just discovered the mechanism behind it, natural selection
Boat Darwin was on
Naturalist on the HMS Beagle
Darwins mentor was
robert grant
The Beagles Voyage
Lasted 5 years, noted geology, collected fossils and specimens
Darwins return from the voyage he
spent the next 20 years working, trying to figure out evolution, collecting evidence, then he published his book Origin of Species
Malthus
Said human population growth was greater then the food supply, this inspired darwins ideas of natural selection
Alfred Wallace
While collecting specimens in Malay he wrote to darwin about his theory on natural selection, copublished the theory with darwin
The origins of Species
darwin published in 1859, 20 years after the voyage
2 major thesis of origin of speices
descent with modification and the theory of natural selection
descent with modification is
all species decendend from one or a few common ancestors
Natural selection is
variational theory, there is variation in a population. Changes in the proportions of individuals caused by there differences in there ability to survive and reporduce
Darwin’s theory of evolution 5 points
- Characteristics of lineages of organisms change over time (evolution happens)
- Species diverge from a common ancestor
- Changes occur gradually over long periods of time (gradualism)
- Changes occur in the proportions of individuals within a population
- Natural selection
Evolution was accepted in
1870, natural selection was not
Francis Galton
Applied Natural selection to human society,did not think the government should do this tho
Francis Galton called his social philosophy
Eugenics
Eugenics
Advocated for sterilization of certain people, justified laws banning interracial marriage, was the basis of the Natzis purifying race ideas
Social Darwinism
Like eugenics, used to justify imperialism, colonialism, and racism. Darwin did not belive social policy should be governed by the idea of struggle in nature
The Modern Synthesis
Bridged the gaps among different types of biologists
The modern synthesis principles
Adaptive evolution is caused by natural selection acting on particulate genetic information nad microevolutionary processes give rise to macroevolutionary processes
Some important people to the modern synthesis
Ronald Fisher, JBS Haldane, George Gaylord Simpson
Microevolution
Evolutionary change. within a species or small group of organisms especially over short periods of time (between one generation to the next)
Microevolution example
Pesticide and antibiotic resistance
Macroevolution
Refers to evolution above the species level, encompasses the broadest trneds in evolution like the origins of mammals
Creatonalism
Opposes the teaching of evolution in public schools, lead to intelligent design movement, same thing dif name
Hypothesis
Informed conjuncture or statement of what might be true
Scientific Theory
Mature coherent body of interconnected statements based on reasoning and evidence that explains something in nature
