Natural Selection Flashcards
What are the four steps in the natural selection process?
- Variation
- Selective reproduction
- Inheritance
- Gradual change in population
Identify the three ‘ingredients’ for evolution.
Variation, inheritability, and reproductive advantage.
Which scientists developed the idea of natural selection?
Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace.
Where did the HMS Beagle primarily conduct their research?
The Galapagos Islands.
When did Darwin and Wallace publically share their ideas on natural selection?
1858
What is the name of Charles Darwin’s book?
The Origin of the Species
When was The Origin of the Species published?
1859
Why are transposable elements often harmful to organisms?
They can mobilise and insert themselves into new places within an organisms DNA. This can interfere with the correct functioning of important genes.
Define ‘antibiotic’.
A chemical that causes harm to bacteria - this chemical may be produced naturalyy or synthetically.
What is penicillin?
An example of an antibiotic. This was the first commercially produced antibiotic.
What is a pathogen?
A disease-causing organism.
What is a mutation?
A change in DNA that may be beneficial or harmful to the organism it occurs within.
What does penecillin damage in bacteria?
Their ability to build cell walls.
What organisms can naturally produce antibiotics?
Fungi and bacteria.
What can bacteria inadvertently kill?
Healthy microflora.
How do bacteria reproduce?
Asexual reproduction.
What allows antibiotic resistance to develop in bacteria?
Genetic mutations.
How is sexual selection a form of natural selection?
The selection pressure is finding a mate with whom to reproduce. In most species, particular traits make an individual more likely to be chosen as a mating partner.
What is spacial sorting?
Traits within a species leading to geological disperse, which in turn, impacts mating partner options.
