Lecture 4: Natural Selection and Adaptation Flashcards
(55 cards)
Adaptation (noun)
Features that enhance survival and reproduction
Natural selection is not goal oriented, ________
it just happens
How have cacti adapted to prevent water loss? (3 ways)
1) lack leaves
2) thicker stems
3) hairs that reflect light and reduce body temperature
What do soapberry bugs do?
They pierce the seed pod of soapberry plants to feed on the seeds
Where have soapberry plants been introduced?
Texas and Florida
Florida’s introduced soapberry plants are ____ than the native plants
smaller
Texas’s introduced soapberry plants are ____ than the native plants
larger
What are the results of soapberry plant introduction?
In Texas, soapberry bugs have evolved longer beaks. In Florida, soapberry bugs have evolved shorter beaks.
Why has DDT resistance increased?
there is a cumulative number of arthropod pests evolving resistance to DDT over time as DDT use has increased over time
What is cryptic coloration?
An adaptation where organisms blend in with their surroundings to avoid predators
Explain background matching in Lice
Two species of lice live in the Purple-throated fruitcrow. One of them has a more rounded body and lives on the head and neck where the bird cannot see it. The other lives on the body where the host can see it and preen it off. The body lice is darker and matches the color of the fruitcrow.
Explain lice background matching in pigeons
Light colored lice live on the Australian pied imperial pigeon. Dark colored lice live on the Rock pigeon.
Host preening
Birds using their beaks to position their feathers and remove lice
Vestigial feature
Features that are not used.
Ex: remnants of eyes in cave
fish
Which two people introduced the word “exaptation?”
Stephen Jay Gould and Elizabeth Vrba
What is exaptation
A trait that has evolved for one purpose but is now used for another purpose
Why did feathers evolve?
They weren’t used simply for flight
What is an important example of an intermediate fossil that we learned about?
Archaeopteryx
Analysis of Archaeopteryx revealed that …
Feathers evolved for display, not flight
What is differential reproduction success?
Individuals leave more offspring in the next generation than do others often due to traits that create advantages in survival and reproduction
What are heritable phenotypes?
Phenotypes that can be inherited, “each phenotype has a genotype”
Adaptedness
the ability to survive and reproduce in a given environment; the cumulative product of natural selection
Adaptation (verb)
The process through which adaptedness is acquired
Fitness
relative measure of reproductive success of individuals
