Unit 1: The History of Evolutionary Thought Flashcards
What is Evolution?
a change in allele frequencies of a population across generations
What is an allele?
variant form in a genetic locus
What population?
potentially interbreeding organisms of the same species living in the same place
What is generations?
not within a lifetime of an organism
What processes cause evolution?
- natural selection
- genetic drift
- migration
- mutation
Microevolution -> Macroevolution
?
Who were the 2 major philosophers for the Ancient Greek regarding evolution?
Plato & Aristotle
What did the Ancient Greeks believe regarding Evolution?
- Organism are unchanging and represent perfect “types”
- Species were independently created and are fixed types
- Hierarchy (ex: apex predator)
What did the Non-European Ancient Scholars believe regarding Evolution?
themes related to struggle for survival among individuals and change over time, which were unknown the European scholars
Who are the most important Non-European ancient scholars regarding Evolution?
Zhuang Zhou & Al-Jahiz
What were the common views of the 19th century and earlier?
- Species are fixed (unchanged)
- Species are independent (no common ancestry)
- Earth was young (ex; 10,000 years old)
What were fossils originally believed to be?
Originally thought to be geometric forms in the rock
Who was the first to recognize fossils were remains of organisms?
Nicholas Steno (1638 - 1686)
What is Steno’s law of superposition?
Layers of rock are arranged in a time sequence, with younger layers at the top
What are Fossils?
the preserved remains (body fossils) or traces (trace fossils) of organisms from prehistoric time
What are the 3 paths to preservation?
- Permineralization
- Trapped in amber
- Frozen
What does the Fossil Record say?
Evidence that organisms from the past are not the same as we see today, giving a record of change over time within a group of related organisms
What did the rise of Geology tell us?
- There are different rock types/layers
2. the slow but continuous process of erosion and uplift
3. Earth is old
4. Fossils were confined to distinct layers
Who discovered the process of erosion and uplift?
James Hutton & Charles Lyell
Who first recognized extinction?
Baron Georges Cuvier
How did Baron Georges Cuvier recognize extinction?
Fossils resemble but are not exactly the same as modern species
What is Homology?
Species share common themes in their anatomy
What is Morphology homology?
bones in forelimbs of vertebrates
What is Embryology homology?
tail developing embryos of vertebrates