EVOBIOLEC: L1 EVOLUTION

• Evolution sheds light to other fields of biological sciences such as morphology and anatomy, medicine, biotechnology, phylogeny, crop and livestock production, biodiversity, and developmental biology.
• Medicine can explain the phenomenon of parasites being host specific through co-evolution.
• Biotechnology can explain the phenomenon of species crossing between A and B, but not between A and C, due to phylogeny.
• Crop and livestock production can improve quality through artificial selection.
• Life strategies enable organisms to ensure that these genes are passed on to their offspring, ensuring the perpetuation of the species.
• Members of a population with suitable adaptations survive, allowing them to transfer their genetic materials to the next generations.
• Evolution happens when the gene pool of a population changes over time.
• Birds often have seasonal breeding, coinciding with the summer and winter season.
• Salmon are semelparous species in which adults die after egg-laying.
• Mammals, such as rats, are continuous breeding with short gestation and varying litter size.
• In Biodiversity, species richness can be explained by speciation, extinction, and dispersal.
• Developmental Biology uses zebra fish embryos as models and test organisms for teratogenicity and cytotoxicity test due to shared ancestry among vertebrates.
• Microbiology can explain the phenomenon of anti-biotic resistance through mutations and natural selection.
• Ethology can explain the phenomenon of most humans being afraid of snakes through an evolutionary arms race.
• Natural selection can explain the phenomenon of assortative mating and mate choice.
• Evolution is the change in the gene pool of a population over time.
• Population is a group of individuals belonging to the same species.
• Species is a group of individuals which can interbreed and produce viable offspring following the principle of Biological Species Concept.
• The Great Oxygenation Event had positive effects, such as selective pressure (oxidative stress, UV radiation) influencing the evolution of eukaryotes (with cells capable of DNA repair).
• Organisms also modify the environment to suit them, as evidenced by the Great Oxygenation Event.
• MYTH OR FACT

  Evolution can occur without morphological change, and at the same time, not all morphological change is a product of evolution.
• The Great Oxygenation Event, an increased in biologically-produced molecular oxygen (O 2 ) occurred during the Paleoproterozoic Era (about 2.4 - 2.0 Billion years ago).
• Evolution goes beyond changing the appearance of an population.
• The Great Oxygenation Event wiped out most of the anaerobic bacteria.
• Organisms do not necessarily become better over time, as traits or strategies which may be successful at one time may be unsuccessful at another time.
• Sibling species are morphologically similar species but have different in DNA sequence or in morphology.
• At the same time, there are instances where only a small change in the genes resulted in considerable change in the phenotype, as in the case of plant varieties and animal breeds.
• There are instances where a large portion of the genes have changed, but there is very small change in phenotype, as in the case of sibling species and species complexes.
• Cyanobacteria produced large quantities of oxygen which had negative and positive effects.

  Negative:

  • Wiped-out most of the anaerobic bacteria

  Positive:

  • Selective pressure (oxidative stress, UV radiation) influenced the evolution of eukaryotes (with cells capable of DNA repair).
  • The eventual creation of the atmosphere allowed for more life forms to survive and evolve.
• Evolution is the accumulation of inherited changes in a population over time.
• Changes in genes can be caused by mutation, genetic recombination, natural selection, sex selection, and genetic drift.
• Life strategies aim to improve chances of passing genetic material to the next generation.
• Continuous iteroparity is a reproductive strategy where those that reproduce repeatedly and at any time of the year are found.
• Microevolution refers to minor evolutionary changes of populations viewed over a few generations.
• Opportunistic life history, also known as r strategists, involves individuals reproducing early, population tending to grow exponentially under favorable conditions, no parental care, and often found in populations inhabiting unpredictable environments.
• Overproduction is the reproductive ability of each species that has the potential to cause its population to geometrically increase over time; more individuals are produced than can possibly survive; and life strategies aims to improve chances of passing genetic material to the next generation.
• Semelparity is a reproductive strategy where organisms produce all offspring within a single reproductive event, die, and some live for many years before reproducing.
• Equilibrial life history, also known as K strategists, is common in large-bodied species, individuals mature later, produce less offspring, and provide parental care.
• Differential reproductive success is when individuals with the most favorable combination of characters are more likely to survive and reproduce and pass on their genetic materials.


  Successful reproduction is key to natural selection.
• The eventual creation of the atmosphere allowed for more life forms to survive and evolve.