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BIO120 Lecture 1: Evolutionary Biology + Chapter 1 Coyne (Approaches…
BIO120 Lecture 1: Evolutionary Biology + Chapter 1 Coyne
Approaches
Observational
Theoretical (verbal/graphical/mathematical models)
Comparative (same data from many species)
Experimental (manipulate system to address hypothesis) - ex. letting bacteria strands evolve in controlled conditions
Relevance
When did the first human get here?
Medicine (antibiotic resistance, flu vaccines, cancer cell lineages, etc.)
Agriculture (engineering of herbicide-resistant crops but weeds have developed resistance --> superweeds)
Types of Evolutionary Biology
Macroevolution: study of long-term patterns through history, i.e. evolutionary relationships of organisms through common ancestry
Uses comparative data from variety of disciplines
Microevolution: studies evolutionary mechanisms at population level
Uses experimental and comparative studies of genetics and ecology (ex. genomic sequences of individuals)
Theory of Evolution
Challenges creationist views, unifying biology concept
DEFINITION: Living things change gradually over time and adaptations (i.e. trait that helps organism survive/reproduce OR process that leads to origin/maintenance of such traits) have arisen via natural selection
Verified for following conclusions:
Evolution - Organisms have changed through time via DNA mutation; pressures influence speed of evolution
Gradual changes - evolution can be fast; slows down once organisms have adapted to stable environment
Lineages split by speciation, resulting in biodiversity (i.e. variety of organisms in area); rarely occurs; different groups can no longer interbreed
All species have common ancestors, as verified by DNA sequences (visible features were used before)
Adaptations result from natural selection and by extension, are product of evolution
Natural selection produces the fitter not the fittest --> due to variation, proportion of "good" genes will increase as time goes on --> mutations can arise gradually and population will become more suited to environment
Natural selection must compromise
Natural selection is limited by evolutionary history
Evidence to test evolution against creationism
Testable predictions
Fossil record
Evolutionary change
Speciation
Transitional forms
Species show genetic variation
Natural selection in the wild
Imperfect adaptations
Retrodictions (things that only make sense in light of evolution)
Patterns of species distribution
How organisms developed from embryos
Existence of vestigial features