Quiz 1

Question 1

5 Tenets of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection

Answer 1

1. All individuals are born with slight variation.
2. These differences can be deleterious, neutral, or advantageous.
3. Animals with advantageous traits will breed pass on those traits.
4. The deleterious traits will be “weeded out” from the species since the animals with deleterious traits are less able to survive and reproduce.
5. As variations accrue over many generations, animal populations can become more distinct and give rise to new species.

Question 2

The Arboreal Theory

Answer 2

The idea that the enhanced vision and motor skills that primates evolved to posses were due to the demands of life in the trees.

Mart Cartmill’s revision of the theory proposed the idea that it was not life in the trees, but PREDATORY life in the trees that caused primates to evolve as they did. (Cartmill observed that other tree species lacked those features yet were still successful)

Question 3

Compare and contrast: Allopatric and Sympatric Speciation

Answer 3

In Allopatric Speciation, there is a geographical barrier present which prevents the two groups from breeding. In Sympatric Speciation, the groups occupy the same geographical area yet do not breed for other reasons (like nocturnal vs not nocturnal).