week 1 Flashcards
(34 cards)
Cheater Detection
The ability to recognize when someone is breaking rules or taking unfair advantage in a social setting
Fluctuating Asymmetry
Small differences in symmetry between the left and right sides of the body.
Symmetry may signal good health and genetic quality.
Facial Symmetry
When both sides of a face look the same
Human Nature
Refers to the universal traits and behaviours shared by all humans; such as common motivations, attitudes etc
Cultural Universals
Traits or behaviours shared across all or most human cultures
Absolute Universals
Found in every culture
Near Universals
Found in most cultures, but not all
Conditional Universals
Common but depend on specific conditions (e.g., preferring the right hand).
Evolution
Change
Biological Evolution
The change in gene frequency in a population over time
Homologies
Similar body parts found in different species because they share a common ancestor
For example; the bones in our arm, a birds wing, and a whales fin, are similar due to evolution from a shared structure
Analogous Traits
Body Parts that look or function similarly in different species but do not come from a common ancestor.
For example; the wings of a bird and a butterfly both help with flying but evolved separately
Genetic Drift
Genetic drift is a random change in the frequency of genes in a small population. It happens by chance, not because of natural selection, and can lead to certain traits becoming more or less common over time
Adaptation
A change in an organism that helps it survive and reproduce more effectively in its environment, often resulting from natural selection
An example of adaptation is the long neck of a giraffe. It helps giraffes reach food high in trees, which improves their chances of survival and reproduction. This trait evolved over time because giraffes with longer necks had better access to food.
Scala Naturae
An old idea that life forms are arranged in a hierarchical order, from simplest creatures at the bottom to the most complex and perfect beings at the top
Altruism
Behaviour that benefits another individual at a cost to oneself, typically by helping that individual survive or reproduce
Indirect Fitness
The reproductive success an individual gains by helping relatives (who share some of their genes) survive and reproduce, thereby increasing the likelihood that the individual’s genes are passed on through their family members
Indirect fitness is about the result — your genes being passed on by helping family.
Intrasexual selection
male-male combat
intersexual selection
female choice
Pleiotropic
one gene affects many traits
Polygenic
Many genes contribute to a single trait
Particulate Inheritance
Traits are passed on as discrete units (genes), not blended
Law of segregation
Each parent gives one of their two genes to their child, picked randomly.
Law of independent assortment
Genes for different traits (like eye color and hair color) are passed down separately.
the genes dont affect eaachother. eye genes are eye genes and hair genes are hair genes
