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Biol 321 > topic 1 > Flashcards

topic 1 Flashcards

1
Q

why should we understand evolution

A

• Understanding evolution is critical to understanding biology
○ It is the only scientific explanation for the diversity of life - explains striking similarities in various walks of life, populations, etc
○ Fundamental and unified concept for describing the natural world
○ Underlies improvements in food cultivation - ex. Crops
§ Environmental conservation efforts

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2
Q

describe evolution as a fact

A
  • Ideas re: evolutionary change, like ideas about gravity, date back at least to a few ancient Greek thinkers
    • Countless evidences from paleontology, comparative anatomy, developing biology, molecular biology, and most recently comparative genomics (= branch of molecular biology concerned with the structure, function, evolution, and mapping of genomes)
    • Darwin did not introduce the idea - he compiled it
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3
Q

describe evolution as a theory

A

Natural selection - central mechanism in evolutionary theory

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4
Q

describe evolution as a path. what kind of factual details does it involve?

A

• Evolution as path
• Deals with general processes and mechanisms, but also unique historical particulars
• Deals with factual details of life’s history
○ Major events, relatedness of modern species, timing of lineage splits, and the characteristics of extinct ancestors
§ Ex investigating if birds are descedents of dinos, when did flight first evolve, what changes have occurred since
• Guides other areas of technology
○ Geanology alogrithms

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5
Q

why should we STUDY evolution

A

• Appreciate the place of evolution within modern biology and science in general
• To develop an understanding of main kinds of evidence of evolution and the main areas in need of further research
• To be able to understand and evaluate studies that use or illustrate evolutionary concepts
• To be able to judge the reliability of statements made in the news media and in popular literature
• To be able to explain evolutionary concepts to
people who are not trained evolutionary biologists

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6
Q

what is evolution?

A

• Origin: latin word evolutio meaning “to unfold or unroll” to reveal
• Presently, simply means change
○ Changes in anything - ie evolution in fashion

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7
Q

define biological evolution

A

Descent with modification (?)

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8
Q

two major themes of evolution

A

○ Process - microevolution
§ How the process occurs
§ Evolution going on right now!
□ Ex. Mutations in the bacterial genomes in our feces
§ Evolution is constant
○ History - macroevolution
§ Process created history with many unique events

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9
Q

ancient misconceptions - aristotle

A

• 384-322 BC - Aristotle
○ He comes from a line of academic descent
○ Socrates taught plato who taught aristotle who taught alexander the great
○ Proposed the ides Scala naturae (scale, nature)
§ Latin concept
§ Great chain of being
§ Ladder of nature/life
□ Linear evolution from simple to complex organisms
® Small organisms at the bottom, humans at the top

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10
Q

ancient misconceptions: pliny

A 
• AD 23-79 - Pliny the elder 
		○ Roman naturalist 
		○ Author of natural history 
		○ Fossils, like shark teeth, fell to the earth during lunar eclipses - tongue stones (glossopetrae)
Other fossils grew within the earth
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11
Q

look at timeline for context of darwins ideas

A

ok

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12
Q

who was carl linnaeus

A 
1. Carolus linnaeus (1707-1778) 
	• Carl linnaeus/ carl von linne 
	• Swedish botanist, doctor, naturalist 
Binomial system of naming organisms - his contribution (even though he didn’t believe in evolution) 
Species plantarum, 1753 
Starting point for names of most plants 
Systema naturae (10th ed.), 1758 
Starting point for names of animals
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13
Q

who was jame hutton? contributions (two)

A
  1. James hutton (1726-1797)
    • Father of modern geology
    • Scottish
    • Theory of earth (1785)
    ○ The earth is ancient (he is the first to mention this)
    ○ Uniformitarianism
    § Present is the key to the past
    § Geological forces at work presently are the same as the past
    § Changes in the earth’s crust resulted from continuous and uniform process
    ○ Gradualism
    § Features of the earth result from slow accumulation of events such as those we see now
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14
Q

who was malthus

A
  1. Thomas Robert Malthus (17666-1834)
    • British scholar, father of demography (study of changing structure of human population)
    • Famous for his essay - an essay on the principle of population 1798
    ○ Populations grow exponentially while agriculture grows linearly
    ○ As a result, populations will always outstrip their resource base (important to darwin, significant role)
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15
Q

who was lamarck

A
  1. Lamarck (1744-1829)
    • French naturalist
    • Theory of evolution 1809
    ○ A feature acquired in an individual life-time could be passed on to offspring
    Regarded in france as the father of evolution
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16
Q

describe lamarckian evolution

A 
• Multiple separate spontaneous 
	generation events 
	• Each species originated 
	individually by spontaneous 
	generation from non-living matter. 
	• Species disappeared because they 
	evolved into different species (he 
	didn't believe in extinction). 
	• Progress up the scala naturae (no 
	splitting — not originated from 
	common ancestor). 
	• Most advanced forms, with 
	humans at the top, originated 
	earlier and have progressed 
	further. 
	• Incorrect on how evolution works 
	but deserves credit being the first 
	to propose a coherent idea of 
	evolution.
17
Q

who was curvier. contribution?

A
  1. Cuvier and Valenciennes 1828-1849
    • Natural history of fishes, 22 volumes
    • Georges Cuvier (1769-1832)
    ○ French naturalist and zoologist
    ○ Father of comparative anatomy and paleontologist
    ○ Strongly opposed evolution
    ○ Catastrophism
    Only natural catastrophes, such as the “Great
    Flood”, could account for the form and
    nature of a 6,000-year-old Earth
    • Areas later repopulated via immigration
    Was not a gradualist
18
Q

who was lyell? contribution?

A
  1. Charles Lyell (1797-1875)
    • Scottish geologist
    • Principles of geology (1830-33)
    ○ The earth is very old
    ○ Made hutton’s ideas accesible to a wide audience, including darwin
    ○ Advocated uniformitarianism and gradualism
    ○ Was reluctant to accept evolution yet became one of darwins most trusted colleagues
19
Q

describe darwins background

A

○ Feb 12 1809- april 19 1882
○ Graandfather erasmus darwin
§ Famous physician, philosopher, physiologist
○ Father Robert Darwin
§ Doctor, well off
○ Darwin was a drop out from medicine
○ Then studied theology and natural history
○ HMS Beagle ship
§ 1831-1836: surveying south america
§ Proposal came from close friend botanist John Henslow
§ Darwin was invited as a companion to captain robert fitzroy

20
Q

where did darwin travel

A

○ Canary islands, South America, Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania
○ Darwin came back in 1826, got married in London

21
Q

why was darwins downhouse significant

A

○ Located about 23 km out of London in Kent
○ In 1842 charles and emma darwin moved to the down house with their family and raised children
○ It was in this house and garden that darwin worked on his theory of natural selection

22
Q

what were darwins goals and observations

A

○ Goal: find where species come from
○ Observations:
§ Populations have a high capacity to grow
§ Individual variation within population
§ Variation in reproductive success
§ Some traits can be passed onto descendants
Lyell’s discovery of deep time (world is much older than though) provided support for Darwin’s observations

23
Q

describe wallace

A

○ 1823-1913
○ British naturalist, biologist, geographer, anthropologist, explorer
○ Father of biogeography
○ Independently proposed theory of evolution due to natural selection
○ Wrote to darwin who was scared to publish findings - inspired him
○ Darwin and wallace’s joint paper was presented at the Linnaean society of London by Charles lyell and joseph hooker in 1858
○ Always gave credit to darwin for the idea of natural selection
○ Darwins book is published in 1859

24
Q

describe opponents and defenders of darwin and wallaces presentation

A

○ Was controversial at first
○ Opponents:
§ Richard owen (UK): botany, anatomy; evolution is more complex than darwin’s explaination
§ Louis Agassiz (Switzerland, USA): Ice age, fossil fishes; did not believe it
○ Defenders:
§ Joseph dalton hooker: botany
§ Asa gray: botany
§ Alfred Russel Wallace
§ Thomas Huxley: marine biology, anatomy
□ Darwins “bulldog”
□ Coined the term diagnostic

25
Q

what is an example of the explanatory power of evolution by natural selection

A

missing link/ transition animals ie. archaeopteryx, lung fishes, tiktaalik

26
Q

darwins contributions?

A

The concept of the tree oflife; natural selection;
classification by shared descent; selectivity of
extinction; depth of time; geographic isolation;
convergence; sexual selection; co-evolution; economy
of nature; stepwise change.
• Padian, K. 2008. Darwin’s enduring legacy. Nature 451:632-

27
Q

describe evolutionary/modern synthesis

A

○ Term coined by julian huxley, grandson of thomas hux
○ This movement married darwinian evolution and natural selection with genetics, systematics, and paelontology
○ Microevolution explains macroevolution

Biol 321 (22 decks)

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