Observation, experiments and wild speculation, wrap up and future challenges

Question 1

how do you describe adaptations?

Answer 1

fitness often used to describe outcome of selection
Adaptations are therefore described in terms of their ability to promote fitness

Question 2

experimental approaches to adaptation?

Answer 2

Manipulate species
Population size
Variation (sexual vs asexual, in-breeding / outbreeding)
Attributes, e.g. size, colour
Modify e.g. biomimetics (tail, wing)

Question 3

How do you manipulate an environment?

Answer 3

Modify species composition
Exclude or add predators / hosts
Alter physical factors e.g. temperature, humidity etc…

Question 4

what is experimental biomimicry?

Answer 4

modify or inactivate it, and then study the consequences for fitness.
e.g. artificial crest and sexual selection – attached coloured feathers to heads of birds and counted period spent together
Examines a very specific narrowly defined question

Question 5

why are microbes a good model for adaptive radiation?

Answer 5

• Easily propagated
• Rapid generation times
• Large population sizes
• Easily stored (compare ancestors)
• Environment readily controlled
• Asexual or sexual
• Single or mixed genotype
• Phenotypes are easily detected
• Whole genome sequencing
• Direct genetic manipulations possible

Question 6

what is urban selection?

Answer 6

heritable genetic changes of populations in response to urban development and anthropogenic activities in urban areas

Question 7

what promotes adaptation?

Answer 7

Anything that gives NS more to work with in local populations
Moderate mutation rates
A small amount of gene flow
Directional selection
Developmental competence (related to ancestry)
Added for human induced evolution: generation time

Question 8

what prevents adaptation?

Answer 8

Inbreeding
Genetic drift
Large amounts of gene flow
Stabilizing selection

Question 9

what is evolutionary medicine?

Answer 9

application of modern evolutionary theory to understanding health and disease
Evolutionary processes (selection, mutation, drift, migration) are important in understanding disease & host resistance
Phylogenies can help us give us insights into disease – where did they arise, how have they spread and changed e.g. HIV, Ebola, Flu, Covid19