post midterm Flashcards
Two definitions of adaptation
- characteristics that enhance the survival or reproductive success of organisms that bear it relative to other stages
- process of genetic change in a population whereby as a result of nat sec the average state of the character is altered (the population becomes better adapted to their environment
What is the adaptationist fallacy?
evolutionary biologists had a habit of proposing adaptive explanations for any trait by default without considering non-adaptive alternatives, and often by conflating products of adaptation with the process of natural selection
changes in organisms are not always adaptations - neutral theory
For it to be considered an adaptation it must increase _____
fitness
Adaptations produce more ____ individuals
complex
selection ____ towards complexity, genetic drift ____
does, does not
3 ways to recognize adaptations
By the complexity and design
By an experiment
By the comparative method which requires lots of evidence and to be phylogenetically informed
Define Exaptation
- the evolution of a function of a gene, tissue or structure other than the one it was originally adapted for. Can also refer to the adaptive use of a previously nonadaptive trait
Define directional selection
- selection for a value that is higher or lower than its current mean value
- often produced by sexual selection
Define stabilizing selection
selection that maintains the mean of a character at or near a constant intermediate value in a population
Define disruptive selection
Selection in favour of two or more phenotypes against the intermediate - diversifying selection
Mean fitness ___ with successive generations of selection (as the allele with lower fitness is purged from the population
increases
What is the cost of adaptation?
Cost penalty of adapted individuals in a changing environment
- rats resistance to pesticides decreasing fitness after pesticides no longer present
What is the common trend among pesticide resistance?
generally based on single mutations of large effect and gene for resistance is at least partially dominant
Antagonistic selection can lead to ___ ___ ___
antagonistic niche polymorphism
Antagonistic selection can be due to ___ or ___, define these terms
Temporal fluctuation - environments favor different genotypes across generation
Spatial fluctuation - different genotypes are best adapted to different microhabitats or resources
Heterozygote advantage is _____ selection
stabilizing
Heterozygote disadvantage can lead to:
fixation of one of the alleles - can lead to a population with fitness slightly less than theoretically possible
Define antagonistic selection - provide an example
When one selection force opposes a different selection force
- Sickle cell anemia - anemic with A2A2, at risk for malaria with A1A1 - Heterozygote is a middle phenotype
- this is actually a bad example - diversifying selection is better - big males v small females - selecting for opposite traits
Negative frequency dependent selection means it is beneficial to be the _____ geno/phenotype
rare
- parasitic fish favoring a side - favor the side that less fish pick = more food 4 u
Define positive frequency dependent selection
the fitness of a genotype is greater the more frequent it is in a population
What is Mullerian mimicry?
two or more unpalatable species mimic eachothers warning colorations
Define Cline
a gradual change or gradient in an allele frequency or in the mean character trait over a geographic transect.
What is the breeders equation - define the variables
R = h^2S
R = response to selection
h^2 = heritability estimate of trait
S = selection on the trait
Define correlated selection
selection favours certain combinations of traits over others
- ex) spotted vs striped coloration and escape behaviour in garter snacks
(either is easier to see and flees or harder to see and stays put)
Define and provide the equation for broad scale heritability
an estimate of the proportion of phenotypic variance with a genetic basis BUT does not give an accurate reflection of the AMOUNT that wil be transmitted across generation
H^2 = Vg/ Vp