Week 3

Question 1

What are genetics?

Answer 1

Genetics is the study of the genetic make-up of an organism and how this influences the organisms’ physical characteristics and behavior.

Question 2

What is heredity?

Answer 2

Heredity is the study of how genes and traits are passed down through generations

Question 3

What are genes?

Answer 3

A gene is a sequence of DNA that codes a specific protein; genes can vary widely in size and in importance; Genes are organized into pairs of long strands called chromosomes.

Question 4

What are proteins?

Answer 4

Proteins can either be structural (building blocks of the body) or they can be enzymes (control the chemistry of the body)

Question 5

What do DNA, genes and proteins have in common?

Answer 5

They are all influenced by their environment – both nature and nurture are very important.

Question 6

Are the actions of a gene fixed?

Answer 6

The action of a single gene may not be fixed from the start; it can be influenced by the acts of other genes and/or the environment.

Question 7

Genotype

Answer 7

Genetic makeup

Question 8

Phenotype

Answer 8

Physical characteristics

Question 9

Locus

Answer 9

an area on the chromosome where the gene is found.

Question 10

Alleles

Answer 10

alternative forms of a gene (I.e. brown or blue eye probability)

Question 11

Homozygous

Answer 11

two identical genes at the same locus

Question 12

Heterozygous

Answer 12

two different genes at the same locus

Question 13

When it is heterozygous what gene will be expressed?

Answer 13

The dominant gene will always be expressed, while the recessive gene will not, yet the allele will be carried.

Question 14

What is polygenetic?

Answer 14

When multiple genes combine to produce a characteristic.

Question 15

What are behavior genetics?

Answer 15

The study of genetic variation as it relates to behavior

Question 16

What is the heritability coefficient and what does the 0-1 range mean?

Answer 16

It is a concept used to measure how much a given trait depends on genetic factors versus environmental factors. The 0-1 range is that 1 the trait is only influenced by genetics and 0 there is no impact of genetics in that trait.

Question 17

What are popular techniques for studying genetic information?

Answer 17

Adoption studies and twin studies: both identical (monozygotic) and fraternal (dizygotic).

Question 18

Why are twin studies useful?

Answer 18

Twin studies are useful as they show the difference between nature and nurture as they share similar environments but share the same genetics (monozygotic) or have different genetics (dizygotic).

Question 19

What is phenotypic plasticity?

Answer 19

Changes in response to the environment.

Question 20

How does DNA fit into a nucleus?

Answer 20

To fit DNA into a nucleus, sections of it are wrapped tightly around globular proteins called histones, which are then wrapped together to form a nucleosome.

Question 21

What is the entire DNA/ protein complex called?

Answer 21

Chromatin

Question 22

What is epigenetics and how do they work?

Answer 22

Epigenetics are when the environmental effect alters the expression of a gene, and they work because genes can turn off and on.

Question 23

What is DNA methylation, why is it significant and what is the effect of methylation and unmethylation on epigenetics?

Answer 23

Where a methyl group is added to cytosine bases. It is significant because it is how genes are turned off and on in epigenetics where methylation means gene is off and unmethylation means gene is on.

Question 24

What are examples of epigenetics?

Answer 24

Rat pups are born with a highly methylated and inactive glucocorticoid receptor (GR gene) but when rat mothers lick their pups a lot it induces a demethylation of the GR gene, making it more active. Therefore, pups will be more relaxed in response to stress: GR gene demethylation which increases glucocorticoid receptors.
Decreased DNA methylation increased historic acetylation and increased receptors in the brain.
Conversely, Low licking mothers= higher stress response
Means increased DNA methylation
Decreased historic acetylation
Decreased receptors in the brain

Question 25

What is biological evolution and how does this work?

Answer 25

Biological evolution refers to changes in the genetics of a population of living organisms over time. These changes can happen randomly, it can have adaptive significance, meaning they help the organisms survive and reproduce better.

Question 26

What is the difference between survival adaptations and reproductive adaptations?

Answer 26

Survival adaptations are ones that helped our ancestors survive; reproductive adaptations help in the competition for mates.

Question 27

What is Darwin’s theory of natural selection?

Answer 27

More animals are born that can survive- some of those who survive better will randomly possess traits that make them better at surviving.

Question 28

What is intrasexual selection?

Answer 28

Intrasexual selection occurs when same-sex individuals compete for access to opposite sex partners=big dick

Question 29

What is intersexual selection?

Answer 29

Intersexual selection focuses on directly attracting the opposite sex.

Question 30

What is gene selection theory?

Answer 30

Gene selection theory suggests that it is our genes that are competing- that is, genes that underlie successful phenotypes will survive.

Question 31

What is sociobiology?

Answer 31

Sociobiology is the study of the genetic basis of social behavior using an evolutionary perspective.

Question 32

What is sexual strategies theory?

Answer 32

The biological goal is not to survive, but to pass on genes.

Question 33

What is parental investment theory?

Answer 33

In species where parental care is unequal the sex that provides the most care will be more selective in mating, and more vigorously competed for by the other sex.

Question 34

What is error management theory?

Answer 34

Error management theory is a theory of how humans use heuristics and biases to make decisions and evaluate new situations. Basically, making low-cost decisions like when we hear a noise in the woods the low-cost decision would be to run instead of walk.