Exam 6 Flashcards
(33 cards)
How to find optimal offspring size
Multiply number by survival probability for each size
Pros/cons of one vs many bouts of reproduction
One is good because all resources can be put in at once
Many is good because more offspring are likely to survive
Pros/cons of early vs late start of reproduction
Early can produce more offspring and individuals have a lower risk of dying before reproduction
Delaying allows time for individual to grow
Take home messages on life history strategies
All strategies involve tradeoffs
We expect strategies to evolve that optimize AVERAGE lifetime fitness
Optimal strategies vary across species and even populations
Population
A group of organisms of the same species living in a particular area
Characteristics of populations
Abundance
Age structure
Survivorship curve
Abundance
Population size
Can be estimated by mark and recapture studies
Some sources of error for mark and recapture studies
Trap shyness
Tag affects survival
Assumes no changes in population size (no reproduction or death)
No migration
Replacement level fertility
2.1 children/family
Type 1/ Convex curve
Common in organisms that produce few offspring, but take good care of them
Humans, elephants, whales, etc.
Type II/ Constant curve
Common in organisms with relative constant change of death throughout life
Rodents, songbirds, hydra
Type III/ Concave curve
Many die early in life but those who survive usually live long
Lots of offspring but little care
Many plants, turtles, tadpoles
What can be done to slow population growth?
Education to delay age of first reproduction
How do scientists identify genes that are (or were recently) under selection?
As a favored version of a gene becomes more common in a population, genomes will look increasingly alike in and around the gene. Because variation is brushed away, the favored gene’s rise in popularity is called a sweep
Why did the scientists find more evidence of recent selection on genes in populations in Europe and Asia than in Africa?
One could argue that we are adapted to the African environment and that most signals are seen when people adapt to new environments
The people who left Africa were then forced to adapt to different environments.
Why is there greater genetic variation among people living in Africa than among people living in other parts of the world?
Diversity decreases steadily the further a population has migrated from the African homeland, since each group that moved onward carried away only some of the diversity of its parent population.
According to the article, is light colored skin homologous or analogous between people of European and East Asian ancestry? Why?
Analogous- 2 different genes contribute to light skin color in each population
Presumably, different mutations were available in each population for natural selection to work on. The fact that the two populations took independent paths toward developing lighter skin suggests that there was not much gene flow between them.
What is the difference between a hard sweep and a soft sweep? We talked in the past about selection on new mutations vs selection on standing genetic variation. Which scenario is associated with a hard sweep vs. a soft sweep?
Hard sweeps= substantial sweeps, with a new version of a gene being present in a large percentage of the population. These hard sweeps are often assumed to start from a new mutation. (Less common)
Soft sweeps= work on traits affected by many genes, like height. (more common) act on standing genetic variation
The title of the article makes reference to ‘very recent evolution.’ Based on the examples in the article, what time-scale is considered ‘very recent’ in the context of human evolution - tens, hundreds, thousands, or millions of years?
3,000 years ago, if confirmed, would be the most recent known instance of human evolution. (monks evolving genes to better withstand low oxygen levels)
People can be short either because they grow slowly or because they stop growing at an earlier age than others. Which explanation for short stature do the authors derive from the data on Pygmy populations?
The authors conclude that Pygmy populations stop growing at an earlier age.
What is the life-history trade-off that the authors postulate has resulted in short stature in these populations?
There is a life history tradeoff between extended growth and early reproduction, with the balance pending toward the latter because of their exceptionally high mortality rates.
The authors point out that selection isn’t favoring short stature per se. What life history trait does selection favor in these populations? Why is it favored?
Selection favors earlier onset of reproduction, because the earlier one starts reproducing, the more likely they are to pass on genes to subsequent generations because they have a greater opportunity to have more children.
What are the characteristics of stages 1-4 of the model in terms of birth rates, death rates, and changes in population size? Make sure you understand how these characteristics are represented in the top figure, how they change over time, and how a population at the start of stage 1 differs from a population at the end of stage 4.
Stage 1: Pre-modern; balance between birth and death rates; very slow population growth (High Stationary Stage)
Stage 2: Urbanizing/Industrializing; Birth rate stays high with declining death rate; increasingly rapid rise in population growth, young age structure
Stage 3: Mature Industrial; decline in birth rate, population growth
Stage 4: Post Industrial; Stability; no population change; population age structure has become older, population decline may set in quickly
Look at the third figure, illustrating survivorship curves for different countries at different times. Compare the survivorship curves of 17th century England with modern Great Britain. Are you surprised by the difference? What are the factors that have caused this change?
17th century England shows a Type III (Concave) curve while Modern GB shows a Type I (Convex) curve. In 17th century England, there were very high child mortality rates. So few females lived to reproduction, so only high fertility rates could sustain the population.
