Natural Selection
Evidence of Evolution
Mechanisms of Evolution
Origin of Life
Random
100
What is the natural selection meaning of fitness?
Your fitness determines whether or not you are likely to survive given your traits and how well you are able to adapt to your environment.
100
What is coevolution? Give an example.
Coevolution is the evolution of two organisms in close association with each other, such that their survival is dependent on one another.
Ex) A specific species of flower has evolved to specifically allow the hummingbird to pollinate it. In return, the humminbird gets exclusive access to its nectar.
100
How can mutations cause a population gene pool to change?
The mutation can add a new trait to the gene pool and increase the overall genetic diversity.
100
What is the difference between spontaneous generation (abiogenesis) and biogenesis?
Spontaneous generation theorized that life suddenly arose from nonlife, conveniently explaining the origin of life.
Biogenesis theorizes that life can only come from other sources of life.
100
What is the RNA World Hypothesis?
RNA was the first organic molecule to eventually lead to life. This is supported by the fact that RNA is able to store genetic material but also perform a variety of functions that support life.
200
How can natural selection cause a population gene pool to change?
Natural selection changes a gene pool by keeping the most favorable adaptations
200
How can DNA evidence be used to support the theory of evolution?
We can compare the DNA sequence of different organisms and look for similarities to see how closely related they are.
200
Explain the difference between sympatric and allopatric speciation.
Sympatric speciation is when new species arise without a physical barrier to cause this divergence.
Allopatric speciation is when new species arise because of a physical barrier.
200
What are three trends we notice in hominin evolution?
Decrease in brow size, face gets flatter, decrease in jaw size, increase in cranial capacity, increase in brain size, increase in use of tools, bipedalism, increase in complex language and communication
200
What structure do most early embryos possess that points to evolution from an aquatic common ancestor?
Gills
300
The following is an example of which kind of selection?
A jungle has a population of white and brown lemurs. The white lemurs stand out more in the environment so they gradually decrease over time, meaning the brown lemurs become more common.
Directional selection
300
What are homologous structures and how do they support the theory of evolution?
They are characteristics that show similar origins but not always the same functions (e.g. similar limb skeletal structures in mammals that are used for different movements). They help show connections to a common ancestor among different organisms.
300
Give an example of nonrandom mating and how it changes the genetic diversity of the population.
Example answer:
Male peacocks with bigger, brighter feathers are more likely to attract mates, resulting in a directional trend towards those traits in the population.
300
How did Redi disprove the abiogenesis theory?
Redi set up two jars with raw meat, one sealed and one unsealed. He let them both sit out over a period of time and observed that the unsealed jar allowed flies to lay their eggs in the raw meat, which provided a source of nutrition for maggots. The sealed jar did attract flies, but no new life was present on the meat itself. This showed that nonliving matter (in this case raw meat) could not spontaneously give rise to life.
300
What self-replicating, self-folding proteins provide modern-day evidence that amino acids/proteins were the origin of life?
Prions
400
Explain how the overuse of antibiotics can be a negative thing in terms of natural selection.
The overuse of antibiotics will inevitably favor the survival of resistant bacteria, making it harder and harder to develop new antibiotics that the bacteria are susceptible to.
400
What are analogous structures and how do they support the theory of evolution?
They are characteristics that show similar functions but have different structures and it shows how the environment can encourage a similar pattern of evolution in different species.
400
How can gene flow impact the genetic diversity of a population?
Gene flow deals with the movement of individuals in and out of a population. If individuals leave, the genetic diversity decreases. If individuals move in, the genetic diversity will probably increase.
400
How did Pasteur disprove the abiogenesis theory?
Pasteur set up a swan-necked flask that would remain sterile when the neck was upright. The curve prevented dust and microorganisms from entering the nutrient-rich broth inside of the flask. After some time, there was no change in the broth.
However, when he turned the flask down to allow the broth to be contaminated, he saw the broth became cloudy overtime. This showed the growth of microorganisms in the broth.
400
The trilobite shows little change in the fossil record for a long time, showing stability in the species. However, a new fossil is shown suddenly in the timeline, indicating a sudden change in environment. What pattern of evolution does this example support?
Punctuated equilibrium
500
Explain the 4 parts of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection.
Overproduction of Offspring: More offspring are produced than the environment can sustain/support.
Inherited Variation: A variety of inherited traits creates differing levels of fitness within the population.
Struggle to Survive: Individuals in the environment must compete to survive and reproduce.
Differential Reproductive Success: The traits with higher fitness are more likely to survive and reproduce, becoming more common in the population over time.
500
What are vestigial structures and how do they support the theory of evolution?
Vestigial structures are extra/unneeded structures found in modern day organisms. They point to ancestral functions that may have helped earlier versions of the organism survive, but is no longer needed today.
500
What is the difference between the bottleneck effect and founder effect?
The bottleneck effect occurs when a random event decreases the original population, decreasing its genetic diversity as a result.
The founder effect occurs when a random event separates a portion of the population away from the original population, forcing them to survive and adapt to a completely new environment. The founder population tends to also have decreased genetic diversity compared to the original population.
500
How did Miller and Urey model the conditions of early Earth in their experiment?
They used a heated flask of water to represent the early oceans.
The water vapor from this heated flask mixed with other gases that was fed into the apparatus, creating a model of the early atmosphere.
This "early atmosphere" was fed into another chamber surrounded by electrodes that modeled frequent lightning storms.
500
How is artificial selection different from natural selection?
Artificial selection is when we select for specific traits regardless of whether or not it is advantageous. We tend to do this with domesticated animals such as dogs and cats.
Natural selection will typically favor traits that provide organisms with a higher fitness.