BIOL105 Lecture Questions for Review - PDF

BIOL105 Lecture Questions for Review Lecture 1 - Introduction to Evolutionary Biology 1.​ How do we define evolution? a.​ Evolution is the change in heritable traits of organisms over generations of time. 2.​ What are the differences between proximate and ultimate questions? a....

BIOL105 Lecture Questions for Review Lecture 1 - Introduction to Evolutionary Biology 1.​ How do we define evolution? a.​ Evolution is the change in heritable traits of organisms over generations of time. 2.​ What are the differences between proximate and ultimate questions? a.​ Proximate questions focus on how a trait functions whether it be through its behavior, process, or pathway, while ultimate questions ask why a trait evolved the way it did and how did that function over time change and evolve. 3.​ What is the relationship between antibiotic usage in medical practice and levels of antibiotic resistance in bacterial populations? a.​ There is a direct relationship between antibiotic usage in medical practices and levels of antibiotic resistance in bacterial populations. Rapid evolutionary change is occurring. Antibiotics like penicillin are used to fight off pathogens in humans, however, with the evolutionary changes antibiotics are no longer fighting off pathogens efficiently. 4.​ Why are many antibiotics becoming less useful over time? a.​ While genetic drift and gene flow play a role, natural selection is the reason why antibiotics are becoming less useful over time. This is because natural selection selects traits that are beneficial for survival and reproduction, creating a stronger variant in this case if it is bacteria or variations. 5.​ How does antibiotic resistance evolve? a.​ Antibiotic resistance evolves as bacteria create a barrier to the antibiotic being provided. Bacteria develop resistance and create mutations/new strains allowing for antibiotic resistance to increase. There is bacteria present that has never been exposed to any antibiotic yet is has resistance developed. Based on the graph present in the slides there is a positive correlation between drug use and bacterial resistance. 6.​ What is the philosophy of essentialism? a.​ There is an ideal fixed form for characteristics that are never changed. There are no non-variations of individuals conforming as everyone conforms to the same ideas. Variation was ignored which was challenging to understand evolution which focuses on variations. 7.​ What is the “Great chain of being” or Scala naturae? a.​ Scala naturae is a hierarchical framework organizing living and nonliving things  based on their perceived complexity. The creator made all things in ideal form, no change was expected. 8.​ What was Carolus Linnaeus’s major contribution to biology? a.​ Linnaeus’s major contribution to biology was to catalogue nature and manifest a plan of creation. He made the Systema Naturae (modern classification) even though ignored variation, he classified and organized species. 9.​ What is the principle of uniformitarianism? a.​ The principle of uniformitarianism is based on Ancient geological formations that can be explained through mechanisms. 10.​How did Hutton and Lyell influence early thinking about evolution? a.​ They focused on the principle of uniformitarianism of how small gradual changes can form large/ massive changes over time. 11.​How did Lamarck’s theory of evolution differ from Darwin’s? a.​ Lamarck believed that species acquired traits (inheritance of acquired characteristics) that are useful to them based on their needs to survive and once they have that trait, they can pass it on to their offspring which differed from Darwin’s theory of how traits are passed down through natural selection. 12.​What aspects of evolution did Lamarck get right? What was he famously wrong about? a.​ Lamarck believed that species acquired traits (inheritance of acquired characteristics) that are useful to them based on their needs to survive and once they have that trait, they can pass it on to their offspring which is wrong as a trait is passed down through genetic inheritance as natural selection determines which traits are needed for survival and reproduction. b.​ He was right about how mechanisms play a role in adaptations in nature, but how the traits are acquired is the part he was wrong about. 13.​How did Gould’s observation about mockingbirds affect Darwin’s thinking? a.​ Gould observed how mockingbirds from neighboring islands are different enough to be species which made Darwin think about how different species are derived from common ancestors. 14.​How did Malthus’s work affect Darwin’s thinking? a.​ Malthus’s work affected Darwin’s thinking allowing him to think about the struggle for existence. Malthus wrote an essay on the principle of population that states if human population growth is faster than food production, then famine will be the result. 15.​What ultimately stimulated Darwin to publish “On the Origins of Species”? a.​ As Alfred Russel Wallace also had the same idea as Darwin, this stimulated him  to publish as he knew his work was accurate as someone else also came to the same conclusion. Darwin arranged for his and Wallace’s work to be presented in London and he also published his abstract on evolution and natural selection. 16.​What idea did Alfred Russell Wallace come up with? a.​ Alfred Russel Wallace also came up with the theory of natural selection on his journey in Southeast Asia. 17.​Why do you think Darwin is given more credit for the theory of natural selection than Wallace? a.​ Darwin is given more credit for the theory of natural selection than Wallace because Darwin spent 22 years researching and collecting data which strengthens the understanding of natural selection. 18.​What are Darwin’s five “big ideas”? a.​ Evolution - characteristics of heritable traits change over time. b.​ Common Descent - all life, living or extinct has dropped without interruption. c.​ Gradualism - small changes between organisms have added up through time allowing for them to evolve. d.​ Populational Changes - born with specific traits are either favored or not based on the environment and population living there. e.​ Natural selection - changes in population size due to heritable traits allowing for survival/reproduction. 19.​Which of Darwin’s five “big ideas” took longer to be accepted? a.​ Natural selection was the fifth big idea Darwin had which also took longer to be accepted. It was more seen as that large mutations in a population were accepted and a new species was developed. 20.​What was the main gap in Darwin’s theory? a.​ The main gap in Darwin’s theory was understanding the inheritance aspect which was seen as two parents inherited traits blending together rather than being selected. 21.​What model of inheritance did Gregor Mendel document? a.​ Gregor Mendel’s model of inheritance documents that parents pass on heritable traits to their offspring. His model focused on a garden with pea plants.