Lecture 4 Flashcards
evolution
inherited biological change over time
macroevolution
living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present-day ones
microevolution
change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation
ideas about gradualistic processes in geology
influenced darwin’s ideas about biology
1858 letter from Alfred Russell Wallace to Darwin
independently arrived at same theory, spurred Darwin to action
1859 published by Charles Darwin
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection
IF overproduction
IF competition
IF heritable, favourable, variation
THEN adaptive change over time
Thomas Malthus
economist, inspired Darwin’s inference about competition for resources
natural selection
the differential success in reproduction within a species that results from the interaction between individuals that vary in heritable traits and their environment
greater reproductive success
all that is necessary for natural selection - increased survival and reproduction not necessary
descent with modification
Darwin provided a logical mechanism by which natural forces can select for advantageous variations, resulting in adaptive changes over generations
phenotypic variation
variation expressed as morphology, behaviour, sometimes determined by environment
genotypic variation
differences in genotypes
type of variation natural selection acts on
heritable (caused by genotype), and seen by environment (expressed in phenotype)
common-garden experiment
grow offspring of morphologically different parents in a common environment, test whether observed variation is due to heritable variation
