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Questions and Answers
What is evolution?
Who developed the concept ofScala Naturae?
What was the focus of natural theology from 1300s-1700s?
Who is credited with the concept of gradualism?
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What is comparative morphology?
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Who is associated with the concept of catastrophism?
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What is the term for the idea that the laws of geology have remained constant over time?
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Who is credited with the concept of inheritance of acquired characteristics?
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What is the primary mechanism by which advantageous characteristics become more common in a population?
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What is the title of the book published by Charles Darwin in 1859 that introduced the concept of evolution through natural selection?
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What is the term for the process by which a species adapts to its environment through the accumulation of small genetic changes over time?
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Who is credited with the discovery of the fundamental principles of heredity?
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What is the period of time during which the modern synthesis of evolutionary biology was developed?
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What is the term for the scientific study of the history of life on Earth through the analysis of fossil evidence?
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What is a common misconception about evolutionary theory?
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What is the core theory of modern biology?
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What is the main idea behind the concept of evolution?
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Who is credited with the concept of artificial selection?
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What is the main idea behind the struggle for survival?
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What is the significance of the voyage of the Beagle in the history of evolutionary thought?
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What is the main idea behind the observation that most organisms produce more than one or two offspring?
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What is the role of Thomas Malthus in the history of evolutionary thought?
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What is the main difference between evolution and the change of species over time?
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What is the main idea behind the concept of natural selection?
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Study Notes
Evolution
- Evolution is a change in a population or species over time, and the idea that all forms of life are related and descended from shared ancestors.
History of Evolutionary Thought
- Pre-Darwin:
- Aristotle (350 AD): proposed a ladder of life (Scala Naturae) from simple to complex forms, with all characteristics fixed.
- Natural theology (1300s-1700s): cataloging and naming God's creation, with Linneaus developing taxonomy.
- Realization of evolutionary change (1500s-1700s): biogeography, comparative morphology, fossil record, and geological change.
- Pre-Darwin:
- Biogeography: recognizing that different regions have distinct species.
- Comparative morphology: studying similarities and differences between species.
- Fossil record: recognizing that fossils show a history of extinction and transformation.
- Geological change: recognizing that the Earth's surface has changed over time.
- Jean Baptiste de Lamarck (1800s): proposed mechanisms for evolutionary change, including:
- Species change through time.
- New characteristics are passed to the next generation.
- Change occurs in response to the environment.
- Specific mechanisms cause evolutionary change.
Darwin and Evolution
- Charles Darwin (1809-1882):
- Voyage of the Beagle (1831-1836): collected data on species and their variations.
- Realized that species change over time, but did not equate it with evolution.
- Artificial selection: recognizing that humans can select for desired traits.
- Struggle for survival: recognizing that individuals compete for limited resources.
- Observations and inferences: recognizing that populations do not increase indefinitely, and that individuals exhibit variability in many characteristics.
On the Origin of Species (1859)
- Natural selection: the process by which advantageous, heritable characteristics become more common.
- Descent with modification: the idea that species evolve over time through natural selection.
Post-Darwin
- Evidence of evolutionary change by natural selection:
- Adaptation by natural selection.
- The fossil record.
- Heredity (1866): Gregor Mendel's work on the inheritance of traits.
- The Modern Synthesis (1930s & 1940s): combining genetics and evolution, with key contributors including Ronald Fisher, JBS Haldane, and Sewall Wright.
- The molecular revolution: recognizing the role of DNA and genetics in evolution.
- Misinterpretation of Darwin's ideas:
- Humans did not evolve from chimpanzees or gorillas.
- Evolution is not goal-oriented.
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Description
Test your knowledge of evolutionary biology, covering the history of evolutionary thinking, microevolution, and the concept of evolution as a change in a population/species over time.
