Population Genetics and Natural Selection

Question 1

basic approaches in ecology

Answer 1

descriptive - what? - pattern - how many eggs

functional - how? - proximate pattern - how is egg-laying regulated? food maybe

evolutionary - why? - ultimate process - clutch size is an adaptation under natural selection

Question 2

natural selection

Answer 2

1. individuals in a population vary and some variation is heritable
2. can produce more offspring than can possibly survive
3. different individuals leave different numbers of descendants (differential success)
4. number of descendants depends on the interaction of the environment on individual’s characteristics

Question 3

heritability

Answer 3

potential for a trait to evolve

h^2 = Vgenetic/(Vgenetic + Venvironmental)

V - variance in trait

Question 4

character displacement

Answer 4

divergence of morphologies of two or more species as a result of competition
- peak lengths diverged to divy up seeds

Question 5

ecology can drive evolution

Answer 5

evolution often operates through natural selection (ecology in action)