Final Exam Flashcards

1
Q

Homologous structures

A

similar physical features in organisms that share a common ancestor, but the features serve completely different functions

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2
Q

Convergent evolution

A

independent appearance of similar characters (not due to common
ancestry)

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3
Q

relative dating

A

oldest rock is on the bottom, youngest
on top, features that cut across rock are younger than the rock they cut

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4
Q

What is the age of Earth?

A

4.6 Billion years

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5
Q

Order of the eons

A

Hadean
Archean
Proterozoic
Phanerozoic

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6
Q

Order of the eras

A

Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic

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7
Q

Order of the periods

A

Cambrian
Ordovician
Silurian
Devonian
Carboniferous
Permian
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
Quaternary

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8
Q

What are the 4 postulates?

A
  1. Individuals within a population have varying traits
  2. These variations are heritable
  3. Some individuals have more success at surviving than others
  4. The variation in traits is the reason why some are better at surviving than others
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9
Q

Individual fitness

A

the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its environment as compared to other individuals

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10
Q

Adaptation

A

a trait or characteristic of an organism in result to natural selection, i.e. one that increases the fitness relative to individuals without the trait

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11
Q

Natural selection acts on ________, but the consequences occur in _________

A

Individuals, Populations

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12
Q

What are the 3 domains

A

Bacteria, Archea, Eukarya

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13
Q

Sister taxa

A

the taxa that are the closest relatives to each other compared to the rest of the taxa

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14
Q

Primordial form

A

first living thing

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14
Q

Reversal

A

loss of traits in a lineage

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15
Q

LUCA

A

Last universal common ancestor

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16
Q

RNA world hypothesis

A

Early life may have used RNA instead of DNA as the main genetic material. RNA can store genetic info and catalyze reactions. It likely formed naturally on Earth before DNA-based life emerged. RNA’s dual role suggests it could self-replicate and evolve, leading to the development of DNA-based cells over time.

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17
Q

The Universal Gene-Exchange Pool Hypothesis

A

-Universal gene pool, rather than self-replication
-Lateral gene transfer
-non-Darwinian mechanism of communal evolution

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18
Q

The Ring of Life Hypothesis

A

-Bacteria + archea = eukarya
-Eukaryotic genes involved in storage and use of genetic information are more
similar to archaean genes
-Eukaryotic genes involved in storage and use of metabolic activities more
similar to bacterial genes

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19
Q

The Chronocyte Hypothesis

A

-Separate lineage arose: the lineage that gave rise to Archaea and Bacteria
+ the chronocytes
- Chronocytes eventually evolved a cytoskeleton and the ability to
phagocytose other microbes.
- Chronocytes phagocytosed an Archaen and developed endosymbiotic
relationship, which gave rise to the nucleus, which in turn gave rise to the
first Eucarya
- Eucarya acquired mitochondrion and chloroplast by endosymbiosis with
bacteria at a later stage

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20
Q

The Three Viruses, Three Domains Hypothesis

A

-Explains switch from RNA to DNA
- Each domain came from a virus

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21
Q

Permineralizaton

A

process of fossilization of bones and tissues in which mineral deposits form internal casts of organisms

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22
Q

Replacement fossil

A

occurs when the original shell or bone dissolves away and is replaced by a different mineral

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23
Q

Natural molds and casts

A

preserve a three-dimensional impression of remains buried in sediment

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24
Q

Trace fossils

A

the preserved paths of animals that crawled on and bored or burrowed into the seafloor

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25
Q

Taphonomy

A

study of fossilization process

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26
Q

Adaptive Radiation

A

small or single group of ancestral species rapidly diversify into a large number of descendant species, occupying a large variety of ecological niches

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27
Q

Stasis

A

new species that appear and persist
for millions of years without apparent change

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28
Q

Which classes are amniotes?

A

Reptiles, Mammals, and Aves

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29
Q

Population

A

a group of interbreeding individuals and their offspring

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30
Q

Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
principle

A
  1. allele frequencies in a population will not change from generation to generation
  2. If the allele frequencies in a population are given by p and q, the genotype frequencies will be given by p^2 , 2pq, and q^2
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31
Q

Assumptions crucial for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium

A
  1. No selection
  2. No mutation
  3. No migration
  4. No chance event (no genetic drift)
  5. Random mating
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32
Q

Natural selection is one of the strongest mechanism of evolution when it acts on _____

A
  • recessive alleles that are common within a population
  • rare dominant alleles
33
Q

Rare recessive alleles ________

A

can stay hidden in heterozygotes

34
Q

Overdominance

A

heterozygote superiority

35
Q

Underdominanace causes _____ variation within a population

A

Decreased

36
Q

Mutation is a _____ mechanism of evolution

A

weak

37
Q

Mutation-selection balance

A

Mutation introduces constantly new
versions of alleles, while selection
removes deleterious ones and keeps
around advantageous ones

38
Q

migration is a ______ mechanism of evolution

A

strong

39
Q

genetic drift is one of the most
important mechanisms of evolution only in
_________________

A

small populations

40
Q

Most common type
of non-random
mating is __________

A

inbreeding

41
Q

Directional selection

A

fitness consistently increases (or decreases) with the value of a trait, Reduces variation (usually not dramatically though)

42
Q

Stabilizing selection

A

individuals with intermediate values of a trait have the highest fitness, Reduces variation (cuts off the ‘tails’ of a trait’s distribution), Does not alter average value of a trait

43
Q

Disruptive selection

A

individuals with extreme values of a trait have the highest fitness, Increases variance, i.e. more even distribution of
populations among trait variation scale (trims off the top of a trait’s distribution), Does not alter average value of a trait

44
Q

Sexual Dimorphism

A

differences between sexes

45
Q

Intersexual selection

A

female choice

46
Q

intrasexual selection

A

male-male competition

47
Q

Mutual benefit

A

The actor and the recipient both benefit

48
Q

Selfishness

A

only the actor benefits

49
Q

Altruism

A

only the recipient benefits

50
Q

spite

A

neither the actor nor the recipient benefits

51
Q

Hamilton’s rule

A

rB>C
B= Benefit to recipient
r= relatedness
C= Cost to the actor

52
Q

Direct Fitness

A

results from reproduction an
individual achieves on its own, without help from related individuals

53
Q

Indirect fitness

A

Indirect fitness is about genes spreading through helping relatives, not just through having offspring, showing how family-focused behaviors can boost genetic success

54
Q

inclusive fitness

A

an organism’s genetic success is believed to be derived from cooperation and altruistic behaviour

55
Q

Kin selection

A

Natural selection that spreads alleles that increase indirect fitness

56
Q

reciprocal altruism

A

a behaviour whereby an organism acts in a manner that temporarily reduces its fitness while increasing another organism’s fitness, with the expectation that the other organism will act in a similar manner at a later time

57
Q

Conditions for reciprocal altruism to evolve

A
  • groups are stable
  • many opportunities for altruism throughout lifetime
  • individuals have good memories
  • roughly equivalent costs and roughly equivalent benefits exchanged
58
Q

Eusociality

A

Eusociality is a social structure found in insects and some mammals where there’s cooperation in raising offspring, division of labor, and non-reproductive members supporting reproductive individuals, all driven by genetic relatedness

59
Q

Haplodiploidy

A

a sex-determination system in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and are haploid, and females develop from fertilized eggs and are diploid

60
Q

Morphospecies (or Morphological Species) Concept

A

Based on morphological similarities and differences

61
Q

Biological Species Concept

A

Based on Reproductive Isolation (i.e. a population is defined as a separate biological species if it is reproductively isolated from other populations and no regular hybridization occurs nor are they
capable of producing fertile offspring when hybridization does occur)

62
Q

Events leading to new species forming

A

isolation of populations > divergence in traits > reproductive isolation

63
Q

secondary contact

A

When the divergent populations come into contact

64
Q

Physical isolation as a barrier to gene flow can be ______

A
  1. allopatric speciation by dispersal
  2. allopatric speciation by vicariance
65
Q

Other mechanism of isolation besides physical isolation

A

sympatric speciation

66
Q

allopatric speciation by dispersal

A

when a few members of a species move to a new geographical area

67
Q

allopatric speciation by vicariance

A

when a geographic barrier arises, disrupting the gene flow between subpopulations

68
Q

sympatric speciation

A

evolution of a new species from a surviving ancestral species while both continue to inhabit the same geographic region

69
Q

Mechanisms of Divergence

A
  1. Natural selection
  2. Sexual selection
  3. Genetic drift
70
Q

Possible outcomes of secondary contact/hybridization

A

1.Reinforcement
2.Selection favors hybrids
3.Hybrid zones

71
Q

Reinforcement

A

process of speciation where natural selection increases the reproductive isolation between two populations of a species

72
Q

Mechanisms of reinforcement

A

prezygotic isolation and postzygotic isolation

73
Q

postzygotic isolation

A

hybrid offspring sterile, infertile, or reduced fitness

74
Q

prezygotic isolation

A

fertilization prevented, zygotes do not form

75
Q

End Ordovician Extinction

A
  • Sea levels rise and fall dramatically
  • continental erosion changes atmosphere and ocean chemistry
  • 80% extinction
76
Q

Late Devonian Extinction

A
  • land plants consume CO2 leading to global cooling
  • nutrients released into the sea
  • depletion of oxygen
  • 75% extinction
77
Q

End Permian Extinction

A
  • Volcanic activity in Siberia
  • Large clouds of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide
  • acid rain, ocean acidification, global warming
  • 96% extinction
78
Q

Triassic Extinction

A
  • underwater volcanic activity
  • ocean acidification and global warming
  • 80% extinction
79
Q

Cretaceous Extinction

A
  • Asteroid impact caused superheating
  • 78% extinction