Evolution Flashcards
Natural Selection
The idea of survival of the fittest. It consits of chance and selection. Chance is the chance that a mutation is favorable to a species’ ecosystem. Selection is the process where the favorable trait lends to the survival of the organism with that trait.
Adaptation
An inherited trait that has become common in a population because the trait provides a selective advantage.
Galapagos
Darwin found similar finches in the Galapagos and South America. Each finch had a different beak. Darwin determined this was because of the food each finch ate which was unique to its environment the finches were on. Darwin hypothesized that each finch was related, but because they had been separated into different environments, they evolved into different species of finches. This story represents Speciation.
Isolation
When one part of a speices is separated from the other part of its species.
Speciation
When species are developed because of a change in environment due to migration or something of that nature.
Lyell
Author of the book Principles of Geology which is a book Darwin read on his Galapagos trip. Lyell suggested that the surface of the Earth was slowly changing over time, Darwin saw evidence for this.
Malthus
Malthus thought that population increased faster than the amount of food supply did. The competition for the limited food, he theorized, is the reason we adapt and change
Lamarck
A scientist who believed that organisms evolved because of the struggle/effort of their parents. Giraffes tried really hard to reach the top branches to eat the leaves, eventually their necks grew longer and they passed the gene of a streched neck to their offspring.
Mutation types
- Point Mutation
- Insertion
- Deletion
- Transposition
- Chromosomal rearrangement
Structure of DNA
Double helix, made of nucleotides. Each nucleotide has a nitrogenous base, a phosphate group and a sugar molcule (deoxyribose).
DNA Replication
The DNA strands are split and the corresponding nucleotides are added to form a new strand, so two new DNA helixes are created.
Gene Expression
When some genes are turned off or on in certain cells. Each cell in your body has all the DNA for you body, but your nose doesn’t grow finger nails because that gene is turned off in your nose.
Protein Synthesis
Transcription: DNA strands separate, mRNA is formed from the complitmentary nucleotides. Translation: mRNA goes to the cytoplasm and at the ribosome, it attracts tRNA that have amino acids that attach to the mRNA and form peptide bonds between each amino acid. Eventually, until the stop codon is reached, a protein is made. The protein will fold and twist to make its shape that will determine its function.
Hardy-Weinberg law
The ratio of traits in a population will stay the same as long as there is no mutation, no selection, no mirgration, the population is large and there is random mating.
