Evolution Exam 1 | questions and answers 2023/2024

Evolution Exam 1 | questions and answers 2023/2024 Summarize the set of assertions (claims about the pattern of life's History) key to the Theory of special creation - 1) Species don't change through time 2) Were created independently of one another 3) Were created recently Distinguish between micro and macroevolution - Microevolution- Can be directly observed by monitoring natural populations Macroevolution- Can find evidence of this by examining the bodies of living organisms Describe how the stickleback of Loberg Lake serve as an example of microevolution - Observing the bony plates in marine and freshwaters stickles directly Define and provide an example of a "vestigial structure". How do they serve as evidence for evolution? - Structures that don't have any apparent function, but resemble structures their ancestors had ex/ Boa constrictors have hip bones and rudimentary hind legs By resembling structures from their ancestors, this would be evidence for evolution What are vestigial genes? Provide an example - ex/ CMAH enzyme gene- helps synthesize a sugar used as a cell surface marker Summarize the three key observations about the fossil record that helped provide Darwin with solid evidence of change through time - 1) The fact of extinction- When Darwin had written "The Origin", extinct plants and animals were being found in rock layers that had been found in many times and places 2) The Law of Succession- a correspondence between fossil and living forms from the same locale 3) Transitional forms- species are descended with modification from earlier forms and that fossils represent past populations Explain why only a small fraction of the species that ever existed are known from fossils (be as specific as possible) - Only a few species such as whales and earlier forms of birds were being discovered Summarize the Law of succession. Explain how it serves as evidence of change through time - Compared a fossil and living form from the same place This evidence for change through time because it showed that today's species displayed a strong resemblance to their recent ancestors What is Archaeopteryx? What is its significance to evolutionary biology? - The most famous transitional form, first known bird found in Bavaria in 1862 It is a direct decent from dinosaurs which indicates that today's birds are feathered dinosaurs Describe how the fields of comparative anatomy and embryology served Darwin well as evidence of change through time - They helped to see that there were fundamental similarities under the obvious physical differences among species What are homologous structures? Analogous structures? Provide examples for both - Homologous structures- Structures with different appearances and functions that are all derived from the same body part in a common ancestor Analogous structures- Structures that have non homologous similarities Describe what is meant by the phrase "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny". How does it provide evidence for evolution? - When embryos of different types of vertebrates often are similar early on, but become more different as they develop This is evidence or evolution because the embryos change as they develop Explain how the genetic code itself serves as evidence for evolution - All organisms studied to date use the same codons to specify the same amino acids to be incorporated into proteins What is molecular homology? Provide an example of molecular homology discussed in class - Shared flaws in organisms suggest common ancestry ex/ CMT1A repeats- genetic flaw that both chimps and bonobos share Explain how molecular homology is central to many of the advances of genetic engineering - By placing human genes into bacteria, this could result in genetic flaws being shared among humans or other animals if the bacteria spreads Explain what is meant by the statement "the genetic code is universal" - This means that all living things share a common evolutionary heritage "Homology is the guiding principle behind most biomedical research". What does this mean? Back up this statement with at least one example in support of your explanation - This is the reason why medical researchers can obtain valid results when testing the safety of new drugs in mice or studying the molecular basis of a disease in rats ex/ Monkeys and apes are often the preferred experimental subjects because aspects of their behavior and brain structures are homologous with those of humans Summarize the principle of uniformitarianism. What role did it play in the formulation of Darwin's Theory of Evolution? - Geological processes taking place now operated similarly in the past Helped to realize that earth was unimaginably old Distinguish between "relative" and "absolute" dating of rocks. Include in your answer an explanation of the term "half-life" - Relative dating- Determining the order of past events without necessarily determining their absolute age Absolute dating- The use of radioactive decay to age rocks and therefore the fossils within them Half-life- The amount of time for one half the original amount to be transformed Distinguish between the terms "natural selection" and "evolution" - Evolution- an outcome Natural Selection- a process Distinguish between Darwin's natural selection and Lamarck's inheritance of acquired characteristics. Provide an example that illustrates these "ideas". How might Lamarck's ideas be tied in with "cultural evolution"? - Darwin- proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution Lamarack- Individuals passed on to their offspring boy and behavior changes acquired during their lives ex/ ancestral giraffes with short necks had stretched them to reach leaves (this neck extension was passed on to future generations leading to long necks) This might be tied to cultural evolution based on the fact that the neck extension would just be a part of a new generation Distinguish between artificial and natural selection and provide an example of each - Artificial selection- breeder selects for the desired traits ex/ Dog breeds (all members of the same species because they can all interbreed and produce fertile offspring) Natural selection- environmental conditions determine which individuals produce more offspring ex/ Birds preferring taste of red bugs over green bugs and as a result there will be more green bugs and fewer red bugs Briefly describe Mathers and Harrison's experiment with fruit flies. What was the purpose of the study? What did they conclude from their work? - They wanted to see how flexible traits were to selection (the number of abdominal bristles) They selected offspring with the highest and lowest number of bristles and found that there were 20 generations of selection over the course of a year State and describe Darwin's 3 conditions ("postulates") necessary for evolution by natural selection to occur within a population - 1) Variation- Individuals with some traits are favored over individuals with alternative traits 2) Heritability- The sexed differences must have a genetic basis 3) Differential survival and reproduction- Some individuals are more successful than others at surviving and producing offspring just because of their phenotype or behavior Explain how research on the mummichog serves as evidence of selection to match climatic conditions - There is an enzyme which acts as a better catalyst at lower temperatures than an enzyme from the south Explain how bacterial resistance to antibiotics serves as an example of evolution by natural selection - Your body acts as the environment and an antibiotic is prescribed to you in order to kill the bacteria Why might excessive use of antibiotic and other antimicrobial agents be a public health concern? How is this growing concern related to evolution of natural selection? - The treatment of the patient is more difficult and the antibiotic-resistant bacteria may spread to other people What is evolutionary "fitness"? How would we determine the most "fit" phenotype? - The number of surviving offspring left in the next generation We can determine the most fit by looking specifically at the one that produces the greatest number of offspring The blue-footed booby has 3 alternative phenotypes for male plumage color- red, orange, or gold. Determine the fitness values for each phenotype assuming the average number of offspring the R, O, G birds have are 5, 3, and 1.5 respectively - R- 5/5= 1 O- 3/5= 6 G- 1.5/5= 0.3 The frequency of red birds would increase in the next generation State and briefly describe the 3 primary components of evolutionary fitness discussed in class. Include in your answer an example illustrating each component. - 1) Surviving- the ability to avoid predators ex/ A hare outrunning a fox 2) Mating success- a living thing attracts the most mates based on a trait ex/ Upstream guppies attracting mates with their coloration 3) Fecundity- The number of offspring per mating ex/ How much offspring a female produces from mate to mate What is fecundity? How does it affect an individual's fitness? - The number of offspring per female ex/ large female frogs and fish lay more eggs than smaller females and result in leaving more offspring to the next generation What are fitness tradeoffs? How might they influence selection on a given trait? Provide an example from class. - Fitness tradeoffs- When traits that increase fitness in one area decrease fitness in another area ex/ Guppies with greater coloration to attract mates are more likely to be predated upon Summarize/describe how Peter and Rosemary Grant's research on G. fortis test and validate all of Darwin's postulates. - - Focused on the medium ground finch - There was a strong correspondence betwe