Evolution Exam 1 – Study Guide & Revision Notes
biological evolution - ✔✔an inherited change in a group of organisms through time
phylogenetic tree - ✔✔a graphical representation that shows that organisms show various
degrees of similarity because they are, to various degrees, related by genealogy
cultural evolution - ✔✔much faster than biological evolution; includes written/spoken
language, tool use, art/religion, teaching
Jean Baptiste Lamarck - ✔✔thought inheritance of acquired characteristics was because
individuals adapted to environment and those changes were inherited
Evolution by Natural Selection - ✔✔-organisms produce more offspring than can survive
-populations are constant over long periods due to food and space limitations
-individuals show variation in the ability to survive
-some variations are heritable/genetic, they pass on to the next generation
Explained by Natural Selection - ✔✔-diversity of life
-relationships among organisms
-change in diversity over time
-change in form over time
-adaptation
artificial selection - ✔✔selection by humans of a chosen trait of "captive" populations. differs
from natural selection in that the criterion for survival & reproduction; is the chosen trait, rather
than fitness as determined by the entire genotype
, microevolutionary - ✔✔change over time
macroevolutionary - ✔✔descent with modification. observed in fossil record
homology - ✔✔shared feature that is inherited from common ancestor:
-shared because of genealogy
-structure & form inherited, not necessarily function
-limb homology in vertebrates
-embryological similarity
vestigial organ - ✔✔occurring in a rudimentary state, as a result of an evolutionary reduction
from a more elaborated, functional character in an ancestor:
-supports notion that species have changed through time
natural selection - ✔✔-differential survivorship & reproduction due to heritable trait
-traits that optimize survivorship & reproduction are called adaptations
-adaptations are perfected through process of natural selection
convergence - ✔✔independently evolved solution to a similar problem
homoplasy - ✔✔similarity in the characters found in different species due to convergent
evolution, parallelism, or reversal-> NOT common descent. aka analogous characters
suboptimal design - ✔✔-organisms cannot evolve "new" traits from "scratch". they must be
modifications of previous traits.
-natural selection is not perfect
biological evolution - ✔✔an inherited change in a group of organisms through time
phylogenetic tree - ✔✔a graphical representation that shows that organisms show various
degrees of similarity because they are, to various degrees, related by genealogy
cultural evolution - ✔✔much faster than biological evolution; includes written/spoken
language, tool use, art/religion, teaching
Jean Baptiste Lamarck - ✔✔thought inheritance of acquired characteristics was because
individuals adapted to environment and those changes were inherited
Evolution by Natural Selection - ✔✔-organisms produce more offspring than can survive
-populations are constant over long periods due to food and space limitations
-individuals show variation in the ability to survive
-some variations are heritable/genetic, they pass on to the next generation
Explained by Natural Selection - ✔✔-diversity of life
-relationships among organisms
-change in diversity over time
-change in form over time
-adaptation
artificial selection - ✔✔selection by humans of a chosen trait of "captive" populations. differs
from natural selection in that the criterion for survival & reproduction; is the chosen trait, rather
than fitness as determined by the entire genotype
, microevolutionary - ✔✔change over time
macroevolutionary - ✔✔descent with modification. observed in fossil record
homology - ✔✔shared feature that is inherited from common ancestor:
-shared because of genealogy
-structure & form inherited, not necessarily function
-limb homology in vertebrates
-embryological similarity
vestigial organ - ✔✔occurring in a rudimentary state, as a result of an evolutionary reduction
from a more elaborated, functional character in an ancestor:
-supports notion that species have changed through time
natural selection - ✔✔-differential survivorship & reproduction due to heritable trait
-traits that optimize survivorship & reproduction are called adaptations
-adaptations are perfected through process of natural selection
convergence - ✔✔independently evolved solution to a similar problem
homoplasy - ✔✔similarity in the characters found in different species due to convergent
evolution, parallelism, or reversal-> NOT common descent. aka analogous characters
suboptimal design - ✔✔-organisms cannot evolve "new" traits from "scratch". they must be
modifications of previous traits.
-natural selection is not perfect
