Evolution/Natural Selection

• What is Evolution?


  Evolution is the development and diversification of living organisms
• What is Biological Evolution?


  Biological Evolution is the Change in characteristics of a population of organisms over time
• Genes are:


  A sequence of DNA that give us our traits
• Evolutionary changes are inherited through _____


  genes
• Characteristics are:


  Traits (Ex: Fur Color, blood type, shape of teeth, etc.)
• Biological Evolution results in:


  Increased adaptations of organisms towards the environment (they become better suited for the environment)
• What is Microevolution?


  Microevolution refers to the changes of gene frequency within a population
• Population: 


  A group of, same species, organisms in the same area at the same time
• What is Macroevolution?


  Macroevolution refers to the changes that occur (the result of microevolution) over long periods of time
• Jean Lamarck is important because:

  • He suggested that species changed over time into new species, new species descending from a common ancestor
  • The theory Inheritance of Acquired Traits
  • The theory of Use and Disuse of Parts
• Inheritance of Acquired Traits:

  The idea where offspring could inherit traits that their parents acquired in their life time (Ex: losing a finger and having that passed down to offspring)
• Use and Disuse of Parts:

  Lamarck believed that if a trait is used then it could get better, if it's not being used then it could go away
• Charles Darwin was important because:

  • He described the idea of Evolution
  • Had the idea solidified by Alfred Wallace who shared same ideas of Evolution
  • Created the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
• There were Two points in the Origin of Species:

  1.) Descent with Modification

  2.) Natural Selection was the mechanism of adaptive evolution
• Descent with modification is the idea where:


  All living things have descended from the same single common ancestor but have been modified over time
• Define Natural Selection:


  Organisms with the traits best suited to the environment are most likely to survive and reproduce, passing those traits to offspring
• Natural Selection can only act on ______


  Heritable Traits
• Where do Inheritable Traits come from?

  1.) Mutation (change in DNA)

  2.) Random Fertilization

  3.) Independent Assortment

  4.) Crossing over
• Natural Selection acts on ______ not on _______

  1.) Phenotypes

  2.) Genotypes
• Selective forces act upon:

  Pre-existing characteristics, they don't create new adapted variants
• Individuals do NOT evolve, only populations do