Exam 3 Flashcards
(146 cards)
Aristotle
Arranged organisms from simplest to most complex, called scale of nature
da Vinci
Observed that fossils were part of previously existing organisms
de Buffon
Described all known plants and animals - presented evidence that organisms change across generations (not common ancestry)
Carolus Linnaeus
Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who formalized the modern system of nomenclature
By the end of the 18th century
many prominent biologists believed that hereditary changes in populations over long periods of time occurred as a result of inheritance of acquired characteristics; Lamarck believed characters acquired during life were passed on
Evolutionary thought
has mainly developed over the past 150 years
First evolutionary revolution
Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, 1859
Second evolutionary revolution
1930s. Theories of Darwin’s natural selection, Mendelian genetics, and population genetics intersected to provide better understanding of mechanisms of evolution.
Third evolutionary revolution
Now with molecular genetics
Molecular genetics
Regulatory genes that act as developmental switches. Organisms with similar genomes can look very different because different developmental programs were used to create them.
Charles Darwin
Unpaid naturalists on voyage 1831-1836. Read geology book that theorized an old earth. Collected plants and animals. Guided by Malthus’ ideas that populations grow geometrically until resources limit growth. Presented joint paper on natural selection in 1858.
Homology
A characteristic shared by different organisms
Convergent evolution
Similarities not due to common ancestry
Darwin observed
Artificial selection, limited food supply, variation in competitive abilities, comparative anatomy and embryology
Darwin reasoned
Individuals best adapted to utilize available resources would increase in number in succeeding generations
Artificial selection
Changes in populations of domestic animals by retaining animals with desirable traits
Natural selection
Descent with modification
Mutation
Change in a gene or chromosome. Most are harmful. Some are silent. Result in loss of information.
Deletion
Part of a chromosome breaks off
Translocation
Piece of chromosome becomes attached to another
Inversion
Part of chromosome breaks off and then reattaches in an inverted position
Punctuated equilibrium
Major changes occur in spurts followed by many years with minor change, based on the large gaps in the fossil record.
Geographic isolation
Isolation of two populations prevents gene flow
Ecological isolation
Ecological factors such as climate or soils may play role in isolation, resulting in sympatric species that occupy overlapping ranges of territories and do not exchange genes