Lecture 3 - Darwin

Question 1

Scala Naturae

Answer 1

• > created by Aristotle
• > a scale which classifies all living organisms in a linear arrangement in increasing complexity (man is at the top)

Question 2

Carolus Linnaeus

Answer 2

• > father of modern taxonomy
• > he grouped species into hierarchy of increasingly genera categories based on similarities
• > used the binomial naming system (i.e. Homo sapiens)

Question 3

Jean Baptiste de Lamarck

Answer 3

• > father of Evolutionary theory
• > he compared extant and fossil species and recognized lines of descent (evolutionary change)

Question 4

Evolutionary change

Answer 4

simple organisms continually generated become better adapted to their environment and previous form goes extinct

Question 5

Theories of Evolutionary change

Answer 5

1. “Use and Disuse” (believed by Jean Baptiste)
   - > used body parts become larger and stronger, others deteriorate
2. “Inheritance of Acquired Traits” (believed by most today)
   - > modifications acquired during lifetime passed to offspring

Question 6

George Cuvier

Answer 6

• > father of Paleontology
• > established extinction
• > concluded that new species appear in successive strata and older ones appear in deeper strata

Question 7

Charles Darwin

Answer 7

• > traveled across the world in the HMS Beagle
• > studied how species had adaptations that suited them to their environment

Question 8

Significance of the Galapagos Islands to Darwin

Answer 8

• > they were fairly new volcanic craters that had unique species related to species on other islands and from S.America
• > led to the discovery of descent with modification

Question 9

Artificial selection

Answer 9

• > Selective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant males and females will sexually reproduce and have offspring together
• > mustard plant example

Question 10

Natural selection

Answer 10

• > members of a population vary in heritable trait, therfore, some must fail and others will thrive which will lead to adaptation/evolution

Question 11

requirements for evolution to occur through natural selection

Answer 11

• > reproduction
• > variation in traits (diffs. in phenotypes)
• > trait differences are heritable (genotypes)
• > variation in fitness (not all individuals succeed)

Question 12

Explain the origin of species

Answer 12

• > all species arose from a succession of ancestors (descent with modification)
• > descendants live in varied habitats and accumulate adaptation to suit through natural selection; leads to rich diversity within species
• > if environment changes, or individuals move, natural selection may result in adaptation, and could result in new species

Question 13

descent with modification

Answer 13

• > Descent with modification is simply passing traits from parent to offspring

Question 14

Evidence for evolution

Answer 14

• > fossil record shows a progression of species through time
• > biogeographical patterns of species distribution
• > homology of features among different organisms