Natural_Selection_Flashcards
Who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection?
Charles Darwin (and Alfred Russel Wallace independently too)
What is speciation?
Formation of new species when populations become isolated and evolve differently
What causes variation in a population?
Mutations
What does ‘survival of the fittest’ mean?
Individuals best suited to the environment survive and reproduce
How does antibiotic resistance develop?
Through mutations; resistant bacteria survive and reproduce
Give an example of an antibiotic-resistant bacterium.
MRSA
Who was Ardi and how old is her fossil?
An early human ancestor; 4.4 million years old
What does Lucy’s skeleton show about human evolution?
More upright walking than Ardi; lived ~3.2 million years ago
Two ways to date fossils or tools?
Stratigraphy and carbon dating
What is a pentadactyl limb?
A 5-digit limb structure shared by many vertebrates; shows common ancestry
What is selective breeding?
Choosing parents with desired traits to breed together
Main risk of selective breeding?
Reduced genetic variation → higher risk of inherited diseases
What is tissue culture used for?
Cloning plants quickly and preserving rare species
What is genetic engineering?
Modifying an organism’s DNA to include desired genes
What is a vector in genetic engineering?
A carrier (like a plasmid) that transfers genes into cells
One advantage of GM crops?
Higher yields or pest resistance
One disadvantage of GM organisms?
Possible long-term health or environmental effects
