Midterm 10

Question 1

biogeography

Answer 1

new species arise in specific places

Question 2

paleontology

Answer 2

fossil species record the history of life`

Question 3

taxonomy

Answer 3

phylogeny; the nested hierarchy of taxonomic classification corresponds to a treelike pattern of similarity among species

Question 4

homology

Answer 4

common ancestry; species share similarities in a pattern that reflects descent with modification from a common ancestor

Question 5

the conditions for evolution by natural selection

Answer 5

1. phenotypic variation
2. heritability
3. phenotypic variation is correlated with variation in offspring number

Question 6

fitness of a trait depends on

Answer 6

how common it is in the population

Question 7

the Breeder’s Equation

Answer 7

response to selection = selection differential x narrow sense heritability

Question 8

response to selection = selection differential x narrow sense heritability

Answer 8

response to selection: the shift in the means from one generation to the next
selection differential: the difference in the means between the whole ppl and the selected fraction
narrow-sense heritability: Va/Vp

Question 9

directional selection

Answer 9

when individuals with traits on one side of the mean in their ppl survive better or reproduce more than those on the other

Question 10

disruptive selection

Answer 10

extreme values for a trait are favored over intermediate values

Question 11

stabilizing selection

Answer 11

genetic diversity decreases as the ppl stabilizes on a particular trait value

Question 12

drift

Answer 12

uniform random sampling

Question 13

selection

Answer 13

biased random sampling

Question 14

Darwin Theory

Answer 14

1/ organisms are related by descent from common ancestors
2. natural selection provides an explanation for organismal diversity

Question 15

convergence

Answer 15

independent origins of similar traits retain signatures of their separate evolutionary histories

Question 16

evolution by natural selection

Answer 16

phenotypic states that are heritably correlated with higher than average rates of reproduction will increase in frequency from one generation to the next

Question 17

what happens if cells acquire mutations

Answer 17

1. phenotypic variation
2. heritability
3. reproduce is correlated with phenotype

Question 18

adaptation

Answer 18

traits that evolved because they increase the fitness of their bearers

Question 19

evolutionary spandrels

Answer 19

some traits are just side-effects of other traits

Question 20

constraints on adaptation

Answer 20

some adaptations are compromised by tradeoffs
some conceivable adaptations are inaccessible because of developmental constraints
evolution is shortsighted
fitness landscapes are dynamic

Question 21

the red queen

Answer 21

evolution of others affects each individual’s relative fitness
- co-evolution of predators and prey; hosts and parasites