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Principals of Evolution > Natural Selection > Flashcards

Natural Selection Flashcards

1
Q

natural selection explains …

A
  • every adaptation
  • adaptation is step-by-step
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2
Q

examples of natural selection

A
  • the human eye
  • immune system
  • how fish evolved limbs and whale flippers
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3
Q

who came up with natural selection?

A

Darwin, with the help of Wallace

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4
Q

artificial selection

A

an evolutionary process in which humans consciously select for or against particular features

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5
Q

natural selection is not a ______, its a _____________

A

force, multi-step process

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6
Q

natural selection

A

a difference between the survival & reproduction of individuals with certain phenotypes compared to individuals with other phenotypes

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7
Q

natural selection main points

A
  • individuals vary in phenotype
  • some of this phenotype variation is heritable
  • the variable, heritable traits affect an individuals probability of leaving offspring
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8
Q

equation: individuals vary in phenotype

A
  • coefficient of variation
    CV = standard deviation / mean
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9
Q

example of phenotypic variation being heritable

A

you look like your parents, not random people

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10
Q

struggle for existence

A
  • not all individuals survive to reproduce or reproduce maximally
  • there is a leading struggle for existence, leading to variability in reproductive output
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11
Q

outcome of natural selection

A

genetic composition of the population changes across generations

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12
Q

what do traits under natural selection impact?

A

the probability of survival and reproduction

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13
Q

what does natural selection operate on?

A

the phenotypes of individuals within a population, while populations evolve across generations

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14
Q

natural selection can operate even if …

A

the characters under selection are not heritable

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15
Q

natural selection is …

A

a process composed of testable components

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16
Q

why do individuals vary in phenotype?

A

variation could be due to genetic factors, environmental factors, or their interaction

17
Q

struggle for existence in finches

A
  • average rainfall dropped dramatically
  • no reproduction during drought year
  • 84% of finches died
18
Q

example of how direction of selection depends on ecology

A
  • droughts in 1977 & 2004
  • by 2004, Large Ground Finches had colonized Daphne Major & dominated access to large seeds
  • thus, there was selection for smaller beak sizes during the drought
19
Q

natural selection cannot predict …

A

the future

20
Q

in natural selection, every generation reflects …

A

the impacts of natural selection on the previous generations

21
Q

natural selection is not _________, & does not lead to __________

A

progressive, perfection

22
Q

what does natural selection filter?

A

it can only filter variation according to fitness in the current population

23
Q

how can new traits evolve?

A

natural selection

24
Q

how does an adaptation evolve?

A

by increasing the reproductive success of its possessor

25
Q

reproduction determines …

A

which genes make it to the next generation

26
Q

another definition of natural selection

A

the non-random survival & reproduction of variants randomly generated with respect to need

27
Q

is natural selection random?

A

no

28
Q

how is natural selection not random?

A

with knowledge about ecology & heritability, evolution by natural selection can be predicted accurately

29
Q

does natural selection favor a trait for the good of a species? why or why not?

A
  • natural selection never favors a trait for the good of the species
  • it can only act on individuals & proceeds without foresight
30
Q

what can natural selection improve?

A

the mean fitness of a population

31
Q

fitness

A

the extent to which an individual contributes genes to future generations

32
Q

how to measure fitness

A

the number of offspring produced by an individual in its lifetime

33
Q

what is fitness applied to?

A

phenotypes

34
Q

how does a camera-like eye evolve?

A

in vertebrates, the axons of the retinal cells run over the retina & converge into the optic nerve, forming a blind spot

Principals of Evolution (18 decks)

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