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Cellular and Molecular Biology > Lecture 2: The Tree of Life and Biodiversity > Flashcards

Lecture 2: The Tree of Life and Biodiversity Flashcards

Wednesday 2nd October 2024

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1
Q

When did Darwin first sketch his tree of life?

A

In 1837

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2
Q

How did Darwin come to his conclusion over the tree of life?

A
  • Realised that fossils of animals no longer existed.
  • Realised that there were the same number of organisms on earth
  • Realised that some organisms disappeared and were subsequently replaced by other forms.
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3
Q

When did Darwin publish ‘On the origin of species’?

A

In 1859

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4
Q

What happens to lineages over time?

A

They change and diverge

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5
Q

In Medieval times, what was used to show the hierarchy of organisms?

A

The Great Chain of Being

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6
Q

When did Linnaeus draw his tree of Classification?

A

In 1735

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7
Q

Who made the first attempt at systematic classification?

A

Linnaeus

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8
Q

How did Linnaeus’ tree of classification work?

A

He put the best species at the top, and organisms that we eat at the bottom.

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9
Q

Kings Play Chess on Fancy Gold Squares

A

Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus Species

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10
Q

Was the medieval ‘march to progress’ correct or incorrect?

A

Incorrect

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11
Q

What did Darwin do in the ‘Origin of Species’?

A

He refined his ideas on evolution.

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12
Q

In 1937, who redefined evolution?

A

Theodosius Dobzhansky

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13
Q

When did Theodosius Dobzhansky redefine evolution?

A

In 1937

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14
Q

What did Theodosius Dobzhansky redefine evolution as in 1937?

A

‘a change in allele frequency in a gene pool’.

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15
Q

Do mutations cause divergence?

A

Yes

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16
Q

How can linneages be examined?

A
  • Behavioural and ecological
  • Molecular evidence
  • Morphological
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17
Q

What evidence can be used to investigate the evolution of living and fossil whales?

A
  • Morphological
  • Molecular (the best evidence)
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18
Q

What are Cetaceans?

A

Marine mammals that include whales, dolphins, and porpoises

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19
Q

How many suborders of whale are there?

A

2

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20
Q

How many years ago did the 2 suborders of whale diverge from each other?

A

34 million years ago

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21
Q

What are the 2 suborders of whale called?

A
  • Mysticetes (baleen whales)
  • Odontocetes (toothed whales)
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22
Q

Describe Mysticetes whales

A
  • Baleen whales have baleen plates instead of teeth to filter food from the water.
  • They are generally larger than toothed whales, and include the blue whale, humpback whale, and right whale.
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23
Q

Describe Odontocetes whales

A

Also known as toothed whales, they use teeth to hunt for prey, and include orcas, sperm whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

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24
Q

Are all features of morphology used in classification?

A

No, as some features of morphology are of no use in classification.

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25
Q

How are whales classified as mammals?

A
  • By having a placenta
  • By producing milk
  • By having hair follicles
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26
Q

What are useful for phylogeny?

A
  • Homologous traits
  • Derived traits
  • Apomorphies
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27
Q

What is a Homology?

A

Any similarity of traits between organisms because of shared ancestory. Not due to inheritance

28
Q

What are some homologies of mammals?

A
  • Having a placenta
  • Producing milk
  • Having hair follicles
29
Q

Are fins and hands homologous?

A

Yes

30
Q

What process causes the webbing between the digits of hands to disappear?

A

Apoptosis

31
Q

How are fins made?

A

Due to a change in developmental programming

32
Q

What is a Synapomorphy?

A

An apomorphy shared by 2 or more taxa/ derived form or trait shared by 2 or more taxa

33
Q

Derived traits can be…

A

reduced or lost

34
Q

What is the difference between derived and ancestral traits?

A
  • Ancestral traits are traits that were present in a common ancestor of a group of organisms. These traits can be morphological, physiological, behavioural or molecular.
  • Derived traits are features that evolve in a species or lineage due to mutation in a more recent ancestor.
35
Q

What happens to the hind limb in dolphin embryos?

A
  • It develops, but it is then reabsorbed.
  • However, it can be seen if the skin of the dolphin is taken off.
36
Q

What were the features of the whale that existed 40 million years ago/

A
  • Reduced hind limbs
  • Inflexible elbow, like modern whales
  • Heterodont, with interlocking teeth
  • Tympanic bulla, with a thickened involucrum
37
Q

What does a tympanic bulla allow whales to do?

A

Allows whales to hear sound underwater

38
Q

What is one difference between whales from 40 million years ago and whales today?

A

Whales from 40 million years ago had more complex teeth at the back of their mouths.

39
Q

What was Pakicetus?

A

A whale that existed 50 million years ago, and had legs

40
Q

In simple terms, what is a double pulley astragulus?

A

An ankle bone

41
Q

Is it true that a double pulley astragulus (ankle bone) is a synapomorphy among artiodactyls?

A

yes

42
Q

What is a synapomorphy among cetaceans?

A

An involucrum (thickened) that allows organisms to hear underwater.

43
Q

What is an artiodactyl?

A

a mammal that has an even number of functional toes on each foot.

44
Q

Why should morphology be supplemented with molecular data?

A

Because molecular data is the best possible evidence

45
Q

What does molecular evidence include?

A
  • protein sequences of casein and cytochrome b
  • 26 genetic loci DNA sequences
  • transposon (jumping gene) positions
46
Q

What is the closest living relative to a whale?

A

A hippo

47
Q

What is cladistics?

A

classification where organisms are grouped by most recent common ancestry.

48
Q

What does a node represent in a phylogenetic tree?

A

A common ancestor

49
Q

How should a phylogeny tree be read?

A

From its nodes, not the terminal branches

50
Q

What is a clade?

A

An ancestor and all of its descendants

51
Q

What is Monophyly?

A

a clade that comprises of an ancestor and all its descendants.

52
Q

What is Paraphyly?

A

an ancestor and some but not all its descendants.

53
Q

In cladistics, when is the only case where a taxonomic unit is legitimate ?

A

only when monophyletic.

54
Q

What is an automorphy?

A

self-derived character.
A derived trait that is unique to a given taxon.

55
Q

Do autapomorphies provide useful grouping information?

A

No, because it is a derived trait that is unique to a given taxon.

56
Q

Describe 2 autapomorphies of platypuses

A
  • They lay eggs
  • They have venom glands connected to hollow spurs on their hind legs
57
Q

What are the 3 domains of life?

A

Bacteria, archea, eukarya

58
Q

What are the 3 domains of life based upon?

A

They are based upon the sharing of genes by horizontal gene transfer (HGT)

59
Q

Who said that ‘Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution’?

A

Theodosius Dobzhansky

60
Q

How many metres long was the Dorudon?

A

5 metres long

61
Q

READ A PHLOGENETIC TREE FROM THE NODES, NOT THE TAXA

A

READ A PHYLOGENETIC TREE FROM THE NODES, NOT THE TAXA

62
Q

Think of a node as a swivel joint, not as a fixed weld

A

Think of a node as a swivel joint, not as a fixed weld

63
Q

In cladistics, a taxonomic unit is legitimate only when monophyletic.

A

In cladistics, a taxonomic unit is legitimate only when monophyletic.

64
Q

Why don’t autapomorphies provide useful grouping information?

A

Because they unique to a single taxon, and are not shared by any other taxa.

65
Q
A

Cellular and Molecular Biology (25 decks)

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