Evolution Chapter 15 Quiz

Evolution: Chapter 15

• Natural Selection: Organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, a concept proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859.

• Organic Evolution: Genetic changes in populations over time, impacting various fields like medicine, agriculture, forensics, biotechnology, economics, and law.

Evolution in Agriculture

• Artificial Selection: Humans select and breed plants and animals with desirable traits, exemplified by the domestication of tomatoes to produce larger fruit.

• Agricultural Systems: Modern agriculture influences the evolution of native species, for example, leading to pesticide resistance in insects.

Evolutionary Medicine

• Application: Utilizing evolutionary principles to understand and treat illnesses, such as bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics.

Species Extinctions and Invasions

• Conservation Biology: Applying evolutionary principles to understand changes in species, particularly to manage extinction risks.

• Invasive Species: Introduced species can outcompete native species like Kudzu in the U.S.

Biotechnology and Evolution

• Transgenes: Adding foreign genes into crops; this can potentially lead to gene flow with wild relatives resulting in herbicide resistance.

Early Development of Evolutionary Concepts

• Aristotle: Organized organisms from simple to complex.

• Leonardo da Vinci: Recognized fossils as remnants of extinct life.

• Jean Baptiste Lamarck: Proposed that traits acquired during an organism's lifetime could be inherited.

Epigenetics

• Study of Heritable Changes: Alterations in gene expression occurring independently from mutations, which can be reversed and passed through generations.

Revolutions in Thought

• First Revolution: Darwin's theory of natural selection.

• Second Revolution: Integrating natural selection, Mendelian genetics, and population genetics.

• Third Revolution: Evolutionary developmental biology ("Evo-devo") and homeobox genes.

Charles Darwin

• Voyage on HMS Beagle: Darwin's observations on plants, animals, and geological formations, notably influenced by Malthus's ideas on population growth, were crucial.

• Evidence for Evolution: Darwin presented evidence from homology, convergent evolution, fossils, and geographical distribution to support his theory.

Microevolution

• Within Species: Changes within species through natural selection, mutations, migration, and genetic drift, as seen in Darwin's observations of artificial selection and competition.

Principles of Natural Selection

• Overproduction of Offspring: Organisms produce more offspring than can survive.
• Struggle for Existence: Competition exists for resources like food, mates, and shelter.
• Inheritance of Favorable Variations: Traits that enhance survival are passed down.
• Survival and Reproduction of the Fittest: Organisms with advantageous variations reproduce more successfully, leading to evolutionary change.

Mutation and Migration

• Mutation: Changes in genes or chromosomes.

• Migration: Gene flow between populations through gene flow.

Rates of Evolution

• Punctuated Equilibrium: Periods of rapid evolutionary change followed by periods of stability.

Macroevolution

• How Species Evolve: Macroevolution explains how species evolve through processes such as geographic, ecological, or mechanical isolation.

Role of Polyploidy

• Polyploidy: Doubling of chromosome number, common in plants, often leading to the formation of new species.

Hybridization

• Hybrids: Offspring from parents of different species, resulting in new gene combinations.

Alloploidy and Autoploidy

• Allopolyploidy: A polyploid resulting from interspecific hybridization.

• Autoploidy: A polyploid resulting from the duplication of chromosomes within a species.

Apomixis

• Asexual Reproduction: The production of seeds without fertilization, as seen in species like dandelions.

Discussion: Origin of Life

• Darwin's Belief: Darwin believed in God's guidance of natural laws.
• Incomplete Record: The historical record pertaining to the origin of life is limited, influencing interpretations.