TT2 Flashcards
What is adaptation? What is another name for it?
Short term change in a species (microevolution)
What is evolution? What is another name for it?
Long term change that results in the appearance of a new species (macroevolution)
What is the primary mechanism that fuels change over time?
Natural selection (both adaptation and evolution)
What are the three fundamental facts of natural selection?
- Variation (inter and intraspecific)
- Inheritance
- Overproduction (more offspring produced than # surviving to adulthood)
Survival alone is not the only important thing in understanding evolution. What is the second thing to consider?
Reproduction
What is the ability to live and reproduce?
Fitness
The variance in fitness in each parental generation (________) leads to what?
Natural selection; leads to a change in the frequency of trait appearance. From one generation to the next.
Traits well suited to the environment…? (2)
Given individuals an adaptive advantage (increase fitness)
Increase expression of successful traits in future generations
What are the 4 points about natural selection and evolutionary change?
- Evolution operates on the population
- NS operates on the individual (ind reproduces or doesn’t)
- Variation has to be present
- There is no one better variation
Sociobiology examines _______ and how it affects natural selection.
Behaviour
What are the 3 main ideas behind sociobiology?
Kin selection
Reciprocal altruism
Parental investment
What is the popular definition of altruism? Biological definition?
A nice, selfless act.
An act which increases (benefits the recipient) survival and reproduction at a cost to the actor.
Originally, altruistic behavior was thought to evolve because….
It was for the good of the group
Group selection
What was the problem with group selection?
Altruistic genes reduce in frequency as selfish individuals genes increase in frequency
What is Hamilton’s Law?
Explains the cost of an action must be less than the benefit + degree of relatedness
C<BR
What is inclusive fitness?
The S&R of an individual + weighted S&R of relatives
Why was sexual selection theory developed?
To explain secondary sexual characteristics