Chapter 14 Darwin and Evolution
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evolution
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modification of a species over generations- \"descent with modification\"
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natural selection
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individuals with superior physical or behavioral characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than those without such characteristics
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Georges Cuvier
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founder of comparative anatomy and vertebrate paleontology; brought study of fossils to the level of a science
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Charles Lyell
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wrote a geology text that influenced Darwin, proposed the theory of uniformitarianism
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theory of uniformitarianism
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maintained the extreme geological changes could be caused by slow, natural processes. This suggested that the Earth must be very old, much older than most people believed at the time.
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Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)
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offered explanations for the changes in organisms between geological strata found in rocks. published theory of evolution. believed that the environment can bring about inherited change
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theory of evolution
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the inheritance of acquired characteristics
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Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)
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wrote an essay on human population growth that influenced Darwin, each generation has the same reproductive potential as the previous generation, individuals experience a constant struggle for survival
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Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
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Naturalist on The Beagle that made observations along the coast of S. America and the Galapagos Islands. Published the Origin of the Species. Held two primary beliefs that life \"descended with modification\" and that this was due to the process of natural selection.
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Darwin's Finches
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Darwin speculated that all of the different species could have descended from a single pair of mainland finch. Helped Darwin to formulate his ideas about evolution by means of natural selection
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Adaptive Radiation
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population changes as it occupies different habitats within a region
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major points of Darwin's theories
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natural populations remain fairly constant in size, natural resources are limited, there is variation within individuals of a population and some of these variations are inherited, only some organisms survive, there is a struggle for existence among individuals in a population, individuals with favorable variations are more likely to survive and reproduce, accumulation of inheritable variation in a population over many generations is evolution
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artificial selection
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selective breeding, domesticated plants and animals
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fitness
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the relative reproductive success of an individual
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morphological-anatomical adaptations
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modifications in form and structure that enhance survival
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biochemical-physiological adaptations
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modifications in the production and use of chemicals by organisms
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behavioral adaptations
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modifications in animal interactions with others and environment
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species
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group of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups, cannot mate with a different species and produce fertile offspring
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Alfred Russel Wallace
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independently discovered the idea of evolution by means of natural selection
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phenotype
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a physical function, bodily characteristic, or action of an organism
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genotype
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the genetic makeup of an individual (determines phenotype)
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fossil record
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reveals transitional links between different organismal groups, comparing fossils from ancestors with today's species demonstrates species have evolved
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evidence for evolution
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fossils, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, molecular evidence
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how old is earth?
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known to be about 4.6 billion years old
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erosion
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deposits thick layers of sediment which eventually form sedimentary rocks
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sedimentary rocks
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form new land and can expose fossils
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fossil evidence
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fossils record the history of life from the past, document a succession of life forms from the simple to the more complex, sometimes the fossil record is complete enough to show descent from an ancestor
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homologous structures
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anatomically similar because they are inherited from a common ancestor, may be functionally similar or not ( the wing of a bat, part of a whale, arm of a human)
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analogous structures
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serve the same form and function, not constructed similarly, do not share a common ancestor (bats, birds, penguins)
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vestigal structures
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fully-developed anatomical structures, reduced or obsolete function, not needed
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convergent evolution
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occurs when different organisms acquire similar adaptations (shark and dolphin)
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phylogeny
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evolutionary history of an organism
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phylogeny tree
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shows pattern of evolutionary relationships, branches represent evolution over time, nodes represent common ancestors
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evolutionary change
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living organisms have evolved from the same origin event. the diversity of life is the result
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evolutionary conservation
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critical characteristics of early organisms are preserved and passed on to future generations
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when did the first primate first appear?
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about 60 million years ago
