module 35: nature and nurture

Question 1

what is selective breeding?

Answer 1

the selection of certain traits, mating them with an organism with similar traits, then seeing how the traits pass down.

Question 2

who was Carl Linneaus?

Answer 2

Was involved with taxonomy ( organized different plants)

Classified types of plants by their reproductive organs, thought that reproduction was the most important part of an organism.

Question 3

who was Lamark?

Answer 3

Created the theory of inheritance of acquired characteristics

— if an organism changes during its lifespan, in order to adapt to its environment, the changes must be passed along to its’ offspring.

Question 4

who was Sir Charles Lyell?

Answer 4

Genealogist,

developed uniformitarianism- the earth was shaped by the same scientific processes still in operation today

Question 5

describe the principles of evolution by natural selection.

Answer 5

— individuals exhibit variation (siblings are similar, yet different)

— there are more individuals than can survive or reproduce, therefore there is competition

— people having favorable characteristics have a better chance of surviving and reproducing (NATURAL SELECTION)

— characteristics that are favored and result in survival are heritable ( heritability)

• over time, organisms adapt to their environments

Question 6

describe the genealogical study done on the Jukes family.

Answer 6

29 males who were immediate blood relatives were all inmates in a jail, and all belonged to the Jukes family.

( trait can be inherited across generations- 7 to be exact)

Question 7

who constructed the first modern theory of inheritance?

Answer 7

George Mendel

Question 8

who is considered the father of taxonomy?

Answer 8

Carl Linneaus

Question 9

what is a genotype?

Answer 9

inherited genetic material

Question 10

what is a phenotype?

Answer 10

the observed expression of genetic material ( ex: appearance

Question 11

what is the endophenotype?

Answer 11

the UNOBSERVABLE expression of genetic material, sometimes as related to behavior

mediate pathways between genes and behavior

Question 12

what is the “environment?”

Answer 12

anything that does not inolve genes

Question 13

what are chromosomes made up of? what are genes made up of?

Answer 13

genes, DNA

Question 14

how many chromosomes do humans have?

Answer 14

46 (23 pairs)

Question 15

what constitutes male development? ( in terms of genes)

Answer 15

one gene on the Y chromosome (SRY gene) determines male sex

Question 16

what are regulator genes? what do they do?

Answer 16

Control the activity of other genes by switching them on and off (external factors can influence the switching of the genes)

Question 17

what is an allele?

Answer 17

two or more different forms of a gene ( dominant and recessive)

Question 18

what is the homozygous form? what is the heterozygous form?

Answer 18

2 dominant and 2 recessive, 1 dominant and 1 recessive

Question 19

males are more likely to suffer sex-linked inherited disorders caused by recessive alleles. true or false?

Answer 19

true

Question 20

what are examples of sex- linked inherited disorders?

Answer 20

baldness, hemophilia, colorblindness

Question 21

what is the “norm of reaction”?

Answer 21

all phenotypes that could develop from a genotype, in realtion to all the environments they can survive and develop in

Question 22

what exactly is phenylketonuria? (PKU)

Answer 22

defective gene on chromosome 12, child cannot metabolize phenylalanine, so it build up as a toxin

Question 23

what does PKU cause?

Answer 23

brain damage, intellectual disabilities

Question 24

What is the gene MAOA (monoamine oxidase) associated with?

Answer 24

negative emotion, psychiatric disorders, agression

Question 25

a child who has been abused and has a low amount of MAOA has a ——- chance of having a psychiatric disorder.

Answer 25

greater

Question 26

what are epigenetics?

Answer 26

the study in which molecular mechanisms in environments can trigger or block genetic expression.

Question 27

what is an epigenome?

Answer 27

cellular material that sits atop the genome, tell genes to switch on or off

Question 28

describe the methyl group.

Answer 28

1 carbon atom attaches to 3 hydrogen atoms

Question 29

what is DNA methylation?

Answer 29

methyl group attaches to a specific DNA sequence and stops gene expression by preenting transcription

Question 30

what are the two main factors for long term changes in gene expression?

Answer 30

— a methyl group

— DNA methylation

Question 31

what are non-coding RNA?

Answer 31

98% of the “junk” outside the 2% of the genome that involves protein- coding DNA

Question 32

what does non-coding RNA do?

Answer 32

regulates expression of protein-coding DNA

Question 33

what is the main factor for short-term changes in gene expression?

Answer 33

the use of non-coding RNA

Question 34

behavioral genetics examine the influences of both —— and —— on behavior.

Answer 34

genes, environment

Question 35

identical twins are MONOZYGOTIC. what does this mean in terms of genes?

Answer 35

they share 100% of their genetic material.

Question 36

fraternal twins are DIZYGOTIC. what does this mean in terms of genes?

Answer 36

they share about 50% of their genetic material

Question 37

describe the use of adoption studies in behavioral genetics.

Answer 37

examine whether adopted children’s traits correlate with biological parents or adoptive parents.

Question 38

what exactly is heritability?

Answer 38

variance of traits among a given population that can be attributed to genetic differences among those individuals. ( example: IQ)

Question 39

heritability estimates DO NOT pertain to?

Answer 39

individuals