Taxonomy
What are the 3 domains of life?
Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya
What is the ECOLOGICAL definition of a species?
Organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
True or False: Natural selection is random
False; those best fit for survival survive for a reason
Who is the credited as being the "father of genetics"?
Gregor Mendel
What are the six kingdoms of life?
Animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria, and archaea
Geographic, behavioral, temporal, ecological, reproductive
Which two scientists helped lay the initial foundation for our understanding of natural selection?
Charles Darwin & Alfred Wallace
True or False: Charles Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection was based on genetics
False; the field of genetics did not exist during Charles Darwin's lifetime
What taxonomic ranks make up an organism's scientific name?
Genus and species
True or False: 100 years is a long enough amount of time for a group of organisms to diverge into two separate species
False; usually takes at least 2 million years
Why was Lamarck's theory of the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics misinformed?
He assumed that organisms could pass on traits developed during their lifetime to their offspring
True or False: Mutations are random
True; mutations occur in DNA all the time
True or false: Organisms that share the same genus are likely to look very similar
True; genus is the second-most specific rank you can get
A population of 30 goldfish consist of 10 yellow, 10 red, and 10 black individuals. They were found in a river carved out of red sandstone. Catfish are a natural predator of the goldfish.
After one generation, the population became 4 yellow, 9 red, and 30 black goldfish. What does this tell you about the time of day catfish hunt their prey?
Catfish are nocturnal.
Black goldfish are better at camouflage than red and yellow (despite the red sandstone surroundings)
List the Four Postulates of Natural Selection
1. Traits are variable
2. Traits are heritable
3. Not everyone survives and reproduces
4. Favorable trait variations win
Let's say that brown fur in mice is dominant (B) and black fur is recessive (b)
If two mice both with genotypes Bb mated and had 12 pinkies (baby mice), how many of their offspring would have black fur?