Evolution Exam #1

Hutton studied geological events and theorized that geological processes from the past were still working in the present. These processes occurred in a slow gradual pace and from this Darwin concluded due to how old Earth was evolution could also be considered a slow gradual process of change.

Artificial selection was used as an analogy to explain natural selection. In artificial selection we breed organisms for favorable traits and in natural selection organisms with favorable traits have greater fitness or reproductive success.

He gave Darwin a reason for why organisms would need to evolve such as competition for limited resources, disease and hunger.

Mean - Where most values fall within a dataset
Median - Center of dataset

Standard Deviation, Variance, Range

Darwin traveled to several islands that had organisms with unique traits. The species seen in each environment were different and even displayed differences from one another when compared to neighboring environments. He was able to view firsthand how environmental pressures would affect species of animals and how natural selection occurred.

How far each observed value is from the mean. Can help determine the accuracy of a dataset such as small is good and large is bad.

Difference between the highest and lowest value

If the p value is less than 0.05 then you can reject the null hypothesis, If the p value is more than 0.05 then you fail to reject the null hypothesis.

Natural selection is a process where an organism with advantageous traits allows it to reproduce more successfully than another individual. Darwin's finches are an example due to different species of finches having different sizes of beaks that allow them to eat specific seeds. Those with the right beak size allow them to survive and reproduce more successfully.

Variation, Inheritance and Differential Reproductive Success.

Variation - The variation or differences between individuals within a population
Inheritance - Whether or not traits can be inherited from their parents.
Differential Reproductive Success - If some organisms have advantages over one another. The different reproductive and surviving success of each individual.

Descent with modification, when a common ancestor goes through changes that result in several diverse species.

Genetic Drift, Gene Flow, Natural selection and mutation

When a group of individuals move from one population to another and sucessfully interbreed increasing genetic diversity. This can be harmful or beneficial to a population due to alleles having the possibility of homogenizing.

Mutation is a random chance event that creates new alleles and is the ultimate source of genotypic diversity. Mutations can be beneficial or harmful and rarely affect an individual but with other factors of evolution at play can affect a population.

Lamarck theorized that animals would develop traits within their lifetimes while Darwin saw it more as individuals being born with different inherited traits.

A random chance event that affects a population and decreases genotypic diversity. It is always harmful.

Natural selection is a process that makes a population more adaptive. Decreases genotypic diversity but willl not wipe out alleles.