lecture 1 brief history Flashcards
what did aristotle say about life
it arose from nothing
who tested aristotles theory and what was the test
francesco redi
meat, covered vs uncovered
the uncovered one had maggots showing life arises where life has already been
who was involved with coming up with evolutionary theory
charles darwin and alfred russel wallace
what is a general outline of the theory of evolution
- Individual plants and animals show variation in their features (=traits)
- This variation is heritable so that offspring resemble their parents
- There is competition because many more offspring are produced than can be maintained by resources
such as food/space/etc availability - There is selection such that individuals live or die based on the presence/magnitude of the trait which
influences the outcome of the competition - This process is called evolution and results in adaptation or changes in traits within the population
who were some outside influences on darwins ideas?
carl linneaus
thomas malthus
charles lyell
what did carl linneaus write about
– Swedish naturalist. Brought order to biodiversity by grouping and naming species,
grouped species together by their similarity, darwin thought maybe the linked ones started off the same and differntiated
what did thomas malthus write about?
‘Essay on the Principle of Population’ – highlighted the fact that reproduction is
potentially faster than food production but in fact never is, due to mortality; the struggle for survival
what did charles lyell write about?
Edinburgh geologist. Book on geology influenced Darwin with particular reference to the
age of the Earth. Much older than previously thought – gave time for Darwin’s process to work
who were some supporters of darwins work
thomas huxley gregor mendel ronald fisher watson and crick sewell wright
how did thomas huxley support?
darwins bulldog he argued forcefully with bishops and skeptics in a public setting
how did gregor mendel support?
work on inheritance in plants largely ignored until after his death
how did ronald fisher support?
first theoretical treatment of inheritance and natural selection
what about watson and crick
- Discovery of DNA provided lots of answers about the mechanisms involved in inheritance
what about sewell wright
population genetics
who are people adding modern synthesis and what did they say
richard dawkins: selection at the level of the gene
george williams: selection acts on individuals not populations, although populations are where the
changes can be measured
