Importance of Evolution + population genetics Flashcards
(19 cards)
what is common descent?
sharing a feature with another organism because of a common ansestor
how does evolution occur?
mutation, drift and natural selection
what are the three “ingredients” for natural selection?
- variation (members of the population must not be completely identical)
- heredity (offspring must resemble their parents)
- fitness (heritable traits must affect the survival or reproduction of their carriers)
What is taxonomy?
The science of categorizing living organisms
How does evolution make sense of the fossil record?
It explains the appearance and disappearance of fossils in sequences consistent with evolutionary relationships
What is Charnia?
A very early animal fossil, possibly from an earlier group that evolved multicellularity independently from animals
To which group does Charnia belong?
The Ediacara fauna
How does evolution make sense of biogeography?
It explains patterns in the distribution of species based on their evolutionary history and geographic isolation
Why do island species often resemble those from the nearest continent?
Because they evolved from ancestors that migrated from nearby continental areas
How does evolution make sense of anatomy and physiology?
It explains the shared structures in animals and plants as evidence of common ancestry and adaptation to different functions
What are homologous structures?
Body parts derived from a common ancestor that have been adapted for different functions
What is an example of a homologous structure in mammals?
The hand bones, which are adapted for different functions like flying, digging, grasping, or probing
How does evolution make sense of parasiticim?
as most paracites alter their hosts appearance and behaviour
How does evolution make sense of genomes?
It explains the presence of viral remnants and broken, unused genes in our DNA as evidence of our evolutionary history
What are pseudogenes?
Mutated genes that no longer function and are remnants of genes we once needed
How can evolution help us make sense of ourselves?
It can help explain human traits such as smiling, laughing, sleeping, and talking as products of our evolutionary history
Will a dominant allele rise in frequency over generations just because it is dominant?
no
what are the assumptions of the HWE?
a large, randomly mating, diploid, sexual population with no mutation, selection, migration
If p2+2pq+q2=1, does that mean the population is at HWE?
no
