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An Introduction to Evolution

An Introduction to Evolution (Main Source: University of California Museum of Paleontology Website). The Definition: Biological evolution, simply put, is descent with modification (Darwinian evolution).

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An Introduction to Evolution

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  1. An Introduction to Evolution(Main Source: University of California Museum of Paleontology Website) • The Definition:Biological evolution, simply put, is descent with modification (Darwinian evolution). • Evolution is currently defined as a change in the gene frequencies of a population through generations. Evolution occurs when population composition changes. • Macroevolution and Microevolution

  2. An Introduction to Evolution • Biological evolution is not simply a matter of change over time

  3. An Introduction to Evolution • The central idea of biological evolution is that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor

  4. The History of Life:Looking at the Patterns • The central ideas of evolution are that life has a history—it has changed over time—and that different species share common ancestors.

  5. The Family Tree

  6. Descent with Modification • Beetles on a dietImagine a year or two of drought in which there are few plants that these beetles can eat. All the beetles have the same chances of survival and reproduction, but because of food restrictions, the beetles in the population are a little smaller than the preceding generation of beetles.

  7. Descent with Modification • Beetles of a different colorMost of the beetles in the population (say 90%) have the genes for bright green coloration and a few of them (10%) have a gene that makes them more brown. Some number of generations later, things have changed: brown beetles are more common than they used to be and make up 70% of the population. Which one is an example of evolution?

  8. Mechanisms: The Processes of Evolution • Mutation • Natural selection • Genetic Variation as the main factor for Evolution to happen! • “Founders’ effect” • Mutations are random.

  9. Natural Selection • Imagine a population of beetles: • There is variation in traits. • There is differential reproduction. • There is heredity.

  10. Natural Selection • End result:

  11. Natural Selection at Work

  12. Role of Fitness in Evolution

  13. Sexual Selection and Fitness • Sexual Selection Process (most of the time in animals): any structural, morphological, behavioral display of MALES to attract FEMALES. Male Competition and Female Choice!

  14. Lines of Evidence: the Science of Evolution • James Hutton & Gradualism • Georges Cuvier & Catastrophism • Charles Lyell & Uniformitarianism

  15. Fossil Record

  16. Transitional Forms (1 of 2)

  17. Transitional Fossils (2of 2)

  18. Homologies and Analogies • Homology: similarity in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry • Analogy: similarity of structure between two species that are not closely related; attributable to convergent evolution

  19. Anatomy (1 of 2)

  20. Anatomy (2 of 2)

  21. Comparative Anatomy • Modification of tetrapod skeleton

  22. Developmental Biology (1 of 2) • Snakes have legged ancestors • Cretaceous snake Pachyrhachis problematicus

  23. Developmental Biology (2 of 2) • Baleen whales have teeth in the early fetal stage and lose them before birth

  24. Cellular/Molecular Evidence

  25. Artificial Selection, Ecology, Experiments, Nested Hierarchies

  26. What happened to the two kingdoms I learned about last year? • What’s the big deal about homologies? • Someone told me that Linnaeus’ classification system isn’t accurate. Why is that? • I forgot what a clade is? • Why did you say birds are tetrapods when they only have two legs? • I have 3 first cousins and 2 second cousins. How can chimpanzees be my cousins too? • Should I be taking notes? • Would you explain the difference between “homologous” and “analogous” again?

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