1: Introduction I

Question 1

What is the central problem of biology?

Answer 1

Why are organisms so well adjusted to their environments?

Question 2

What is evolution?

Answer 2

Theory by Darwin and Wallace that states that organisms change over time to better adapt to their environment

Question 3

What is natural selection?

Answer 3

Differential reproduction of heritable elements because of differential fit with the environment.

Question 4

How long does it take for an organism to adapt to its environment?

Answer 4

Depends on:

1. Amount of variation in population
2. Reproductive differential
3. Generation time

Question 5

Entropy

Answer 5

• matter and energy both tend to proceed in a natural state of disorder and chaos
• but living things are highly organized

Question 6

Adaptation

Answer 6

• the fit between organism and its environment

- NS build adapted organisms by filtering non advantageous traits

Question 7

How does natural selection shape living things? (6 Step Process)

Answer 7

1. Reproduction is not additive but exponential
2. But numbers of organisms tend to stabilize over time
3. Therefore must mean that many individuals fail to reproduce
4. Individuals with advantageous traits more likely to survive and reproduce
5. Offspring resemble their parents
6. Advantageous traits become more common over generations