Lecture 1 - January 7th, 2025 Flashcards
What is evolution?
Change in gene frequencies over time.
Ongoing biological processes that affect traits.
What is a genotype?
The genetic component that determines a characteristic.
What are genes?
The basic unit of heredity.
What is a phenotype?
The observable trait of a characteristic.
Provide an example of genotype and phenotype.
The gene for brown eyes is the genotype, brown eyes are the phenotype.
At what level does evolution occur?
Evolution occurs at the group level, not the individual.
What is microevolution?
Genetic changes within populations that may cause a population of a species to vary in trait frequencies.
What is macroevolution?
Genetic changes in populations over large spans of time that may result in the appearance of new species.
What is evolutionary theory?
A scientific theory supported by extensive research and understanding.
What is the scientific method?
A cycle or series of procedures used in scientific research to gain knowledge and stimulate new information.
How is the scientific method characterized?
It is iterative and involves learning more about the natural world through observation and tests.
The scientific method is ____ and ___.
Repeatable, reproducible.
What is a hypothesis?
A written statement based on observation.
Define null and alternative hypotheses.
Null = assumption that the data is due to random chance, and assumes nothings going to happen. We move to disprove this hypothesis.
Alternative = opposite of null. Suggests a relationship between data and outside influences.
