Natural Selection and Evolution - Part 4 (Week 9)

Question 1

What key points were explained in the origin of species?

Answer 1

Three observations explained:

• unity of life
• diversity of life
• match between organisms + their environment

Question 2

Was evolution mentioned in the origin of species - what is its importance?

Answer 2

No - refers to view that all organisms = related through descent from an ancestor that lived in the remote past

Question 3

What is the Darwinian view?

Answer 3

• history of life = like a tree with branches representing life’s diversity

Question 4

What is artificial selection?

Answer 4

• modification of other species by selecting + breeding individuals with desired traits

Question 5

What were some observations made by Darwin by way of artificial selection?

Answer 5

• members of a population often vary in their inherited traits
• all species produce more offspring than the environment can support + many of these offspring fail to survive + reproduce

Question 6

What were some inferences made by Darwin by way of artificial selection?

Answer 6

• individuals that have inherited traits have a higher probability of surviving and reproducing in a given environment, tend to leave more offspring than other individuals
• unequal ability of individuals to survive + reproduce will lead to the accumulation of favorable traits in the population over generations

Question 7

What explains the match between organisms and their environments?

Answer 7

• if some heritable traits = advantageous, they will accumulate in a population over time
• increasing the frequency of individuals with these traits