Terms of Interest

Question 1

What are Darwin’s main insights?

Answer 1

There is descent with modification, and natural selection is the mechanism behind these evolutions.

Question 2

Define evolution

Answer 2

A change in allele frequency over time

Question 3

Define homologous structures and vestigial structures

Answer 3

Homologous structures are ones that are similar between animals that are used for different purposes, vestigial structures are remnants of structures that are from an ancestor.

Question 4

Who wrote an essay on the principle of population and argued that there will always be a point where population is too large for resources and competition will ensue.

Answer 4

Malthus

Question 5

Mendel’s 3 laws (explanations)

Answer 5

Dominance (dominant vs recessive allele), Segregation (Segregate independently where a heterozygote creates 50% gametes of one allele and 50% of the other), Independent Assortment (Alleles at a given locus independently assort from other loci)

Question 6

Why Inheritance is more complicated than Mendel (4 reasons)

Answer 6

Co-Dominance, not always independent assortment, not always equal segregation, some traits are quantitative like hair and height

Question 7

HW assumptions:

Answer 7

1. Diploid locus (simplest form)
2. Random mating (at locus)
3. No genetic drift
4. No gene flow
5. No natural selection
6. No mutations

Question 8

3 reasons for mating non-randomly

Answer 8

Higher inbreeding/outbreeding than expected
Higher self-fertilization than expected
assortative and disassortative mating

Question 9

2 reasons for inbreeding depression

Answer 9

dominance hypothesis
heterozygote advantage

Question 10

6 avoidances of inbreeeding

Answer 10

kin recognition
delayed reproductive maturity
extra-pair copulation (mate for life)
dispersal
inability to self fertilize
physical or temporal separation of reproductive organs

Question 11

Types of small scale mutation

Answer 11

substitution
deletion/insertion

Question 12

Name some reason for genetic variation maintenance

Answer 12

Mutation is constant
heterozygote advantage
negative frequency-dependent selection

Question 13

What two things are needed to demonstrate an adaptation

Answer 13

the function, and the proof that it increases fitness

Question 14

What is the comparative method in terms of adaptation experiments?

Answer 14

It is the process that looks to correlate a trait and a selective agent.