Natural Selection
What is the core idea of "Natural Selection"?
Survival of the Fittest
Define Evolution
the change in the characteristics of a species over several generations and relies on the process of natural selection.
What is the definition of a species?
is a group of living organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
What is a cladogram?
diagrams that depict evolutionary relationships between organisms in a group (called clades).
How old was Mr. Hackett when he shot his first buck?
13
What does it mean for an organism to be "Fit"?
An organism that survives to sexual maturity, passes on its genes to the next generation, and those offspring also pass on their genes.
Name two pieces of evidence for Evolution
Fossil record:
Geographical distribution of living species:
Similarities in development:
Molecular similarities:
Modern-day resistance to antibiotics in bacteria:
Explain the concept of "Speciation"
Speciation is the process in which one organism evolves into two separate species over long periods of time. This is often due to environmental pressures and geologic features.
What event is happening at the node of a cladogram?
Speciation, where one organism becomes two.
What is the month and day Mr. Hackett was born?
June 8th
Why is Charles Darwin so important to the theory of Evolution?
Charles Darwin work on the Galapagos Islands was the pivotal work that changed peoples understanding of organisms. His work lead to the theory of natural selection.
What ways does genetic variation enter a given population?
Mutation and Gene Shuffling
Two populations of tree frogs live in the same forest but breed at night using mating calls. Over many generations, one population’s call gradually changes pitch and rhythm. The second population continues using the original call. Eventually, females from each group only respond to their own population’s specific call and no longer approach males from the other group, even though they live in the same area and could physically mate.
What type of "Isolation" is this?
Behavioral Isolation
What organism do we always start with when constructing a cladogram?
The organism with the least amount of traits / characteristics.
What was the make of Mr. Hackett's first vehicle?
Toyota
A population of fish lives in a lake that is gradually becoming cloudier due to runoff. In clear water, brightly colored males attracted the most mates. But in murky water, the bright colors become harder to see. Females begin preferring males with darker, higher-contrast patterns that show up better. Over generations, more males have darker colors.
What example of selection is this?
Directional Selection
Define and give an example of a Vestigial Structure.
A vestigial structure is an anatomical feature or behavior that no longer serves its original function but is still present in an organism because it was inherited from an ancestor.
two examples we talked about are a axillary fin of a pacific salmon and a floating hip bone in a whale.
In our human variation lab, we measured student's height, graphed our data and it resembled a bell curve. What kind of trait is height? Explain why this variation is present with this trait.
The bell curve is representative of a polygenetic trait. A polygenetic trait has multiple genes determining the phenotypic outcome. Therefore there will be a bell curve variation in a given population.
What is the difference between an ingroup and an outgroup?
What's the name of the tallest building in the world?
Burj Khalifa
Natural selection shows change in population over time due to environmental pressures causing need for organisms to adapt. As organisms adapt different traits to better survive and pass on their genes in their environment, the ones that out compete their counterparts will have better fitness. If there are mutations in this population, this could either lead to better fitness or for them to be quickly predated out of the population.
Divergent evolution is similarly related species that have taking drastically different adaptation paths. Convergent are two organisms that are genetically dissimilar but have similar adaptations to their environments.
The salamanders that are being studied in California are sub-species. What does this mean and what was the reason not all of them are interbreeding is because of what?
A sub-species are organisms that are similar enough genetically and phenotypically that they can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. The main reason that the sub-species didn't interbreed in our Salamander Speciation Lab was the large central desert that created geographic isolation between some sub-species.
See Cladogram for question:
See Mr. Hackett for answer
Name 5 of the wonders of the world.
The Great Wall of China,
Petra, Jordan: The Lost City of Stone and Sand
Machu Picchu, Peru: The Hidden Citadel in the Clouds
Chichén Itzá, Mexico: The Pyramid That Speaks to the Stars
The Roman Colosseum, Italy: Blood, Glory, and Empire
The Taj Mahal, India: A Love Story Etched in Marble