Topics 1-3

Question 1

What are some threats to biodiversity?

Answer 1

• pollution
• climate change
• resource expolitation
• conversion of land

Question 2

Give examples of direct and indiect values of biodiversity

Answer 2

direct: food, medicine
indirect: movement of water, ecotourism, nutrient cycling, prevention of soil erosion

Question 3

What are ultimate and proximate questions?

Answer 3

ultimate: concerned with evolutionary orgins, deeper level questions (why)
proximate: deal with the mechanisms and do not always require evolutionary explanations (how)

Question 4

What are the characteristics of life?

Answer 4

• reproduction
• evolution
• metabolism
• growth
• response to stimuli
• homeostasis

Question 5

What is taxonomy?

Answer 5

practice of naming and classifying organisms

Question 6

What is systematics?

Answer 6

the practice of classifying organisms based on evolutionary history ( phylogeny )

Question 7

Describe the Linnaean System

Answer 7

• Linnaean created the Binomial System of Nomenclature
• combined of genus & species name
• binomials = “scientific name”
  every species has unique biomen

Question 8

What are phylogenetic trees?

Answer 8

• hypothesis of the representation of evolutionary relationships among organisms
• organizes and reflects common ancestors

Question 9

Define in-group and out-group

Answer 9

in-group: we are interested in untangling

out-group: one or more taxa that are distantly related to the in-group, diverged at an earlier time

Question 10

What is the Principles of Parsimony?

Answer 10

best hypothese with the least number of assumptions, the simplest explanation is the best

Question 11

What is the difference between homologous and analogous traits?

Answer 11

• homologous: same structure, different function

- analogous: different structure, same function

Question 12

What is the difference between synapomorphy and symplesiomorphy?

Answer 12

synap: shared, dervied state
symple: shared ancestral state

Question 13

What is the difference between mono-, para-, and poly- phyletic clades?

Answer 13

mono: same taxon & share a most common ancestor
para: descended from common ancestor, but DOES NOT include all descendants
poly: organisms grouped together but do NOT share a common ancestor

Question 14

What was George Cuviers idea of evolution?

Answer 14

• he hypothesized species did not change ( no evolution )
• catastrophe -> local exctinction -> fossils -> new species move in.. repeat
• catastrophism

Question 15

What was Jean-Bapiste Lamrack’s idea of evolution?

Answer 15

• species did change overtime

- inheritance of acquired traits ( use & disuse of structure -> heritable change )

Question 16

What is descent with modification?

Answer 16

simply passing traits from parent to offspring

Darwins fundamental idea

Question 17

Describe the four points of natural selection

Answer 17

1. heritable variation
2. resources are limited
3. phenotypes with favoured traits will be better suited to survive and reproduce
4. “fit” individuals will increase in the pop.

Question 18

Do populations or individuals evolve?

Answer 18

populations

Question 19

What is convergent evolution?

Answer 19

natural selection producing a similar trait from different starting points ( analogous traits )

Question 20

Does Natural Selection act on the individual or population?

Answer 20

individual, but evolution is seen in populations

note: individuals CANNOT evolve