Biology: Natural Selection + Evolution Language

Scientists experimenting on artificial selection use certain techniques to increase the rate of mutation. Explain why a higher mutation rate is desirable.

-A higher mutation rate is desirable because it creates the desired/improved/enhanced product faster (ex: the higher mutation rate turns the white bugs blue faster (which need to be blue to survive longer because color blue on blue leaves=camouflage))

Explain why some species become extinct.

-Because they can not evolve fast enough to fit the environment, too many predators, humans, lack of food/water/resources

List any two factors that affect evolution.

-Environment (terrain--rocky or grassy, color of area) -Temperature and precipitation -Predators and prey in the same region -What the access of food is

Describe how the process of evolution stops.

-Evolution is a very continuous process that has been going on non-stop since the beginning of time, and is the reason for the biodiversity we see today, but a possible reason evolution could stop is if an organism in an environment has the perfect conditions and could have no other mutations that can benefit them.

In the Exploration, the color of the bugs evolves over the course of a few generations. Give another real world example which can support Darwin's theory.

-Fish (fish also reproduce in great amounts, and you can see the evolutionary changes over a period of time). -Mice, birds, and turtles (also show changes that can happen in generations based off of natural selection and environmental conditions)

What are 2 examples of adaptive radiation from this techbook video?

-Honeycreeper Birds -Cichlid Fish -Lemurs -Anoli Lizards

Sometimes when organisms evolve, it gives rise to multiple species that can coexist simultaneously. Give an example supporting this statement.

-Honeycreeper from single species of finch that arrived in Hawaii -in Hawaii 54 different species of Honeycreeper birds from finch

What is a scientific theory?

-Hypothesis widely supported by scientific community, lots of evidence to support it, well tested -But not law because: evidence for law, need more -Can't be here and in outer space at the same time (that's why theory of relativity is a theory) can't be in both places to prove it. -Theory Of Evolution is a theory because we came so late to the party, never can go back and witness evolution and natural selection to prove it so theory.

Explain the role played by the rate of mutation in determining the course of evolution.

-The larger the rate of mutation the faster the course of evolution occurs (change in organism is happening faster) -The smaller the rate of mutation the slower the course of evolution occurs (change in organism is happening slower)

Darwin's Theory of evolution suggests that fishes evolved into amphibians. If this statement is assumed to be true, explain why fishes still exist on the planet.

-This is because fish didn't die off because they could still live in an appropriate environment/have a niche. Don't ALL need to evolve, fish still filla role in the environment.

Explain why a rock pocket mouse's color influences its overall fitness. Remember that "fitness" is defined by an organism's ability to survive and produce offspring.

A rock mouses fitness is so crucially influenced by its phenotype (color), because color plays an important role in the mouses camouflage. If its color is opposite the landscape it has a poor fitness, because it is harder to avoid predators and more likely to be eaten and produce less offspring. But if its color matches its landscape/habitat it has very good fitness as it is easier to avoid predators and survive plus reproduce.

What is evolution?

Change over time.

what differences might you expect in the biotic and abiotic factors if three turtles look differently.

Different ways to get vegetation/food source (necks) landscape appearance (shape and color)

What is BIOGEOGRAPHY

Distribution of organisms (species) in biomes around the world.

Why are some mice light colored and some mice dark colored?

Driven by predators weeding out mice that don't match background, so those with mutations and have advantage have more offspring and their offspring have more offspring with the mutation. Mutations caused dark colored mice. Color is affected by many different genes, difference of 4 chemical letters in MCR1.

Explain the difference between adaptation and evolution.

Evolution is when there is a genetic mutation in an organism that either gives them an advantage or a disadvantage. Adaptation is when organisms try to change to benefit themselves. Evolution is also defined by the adaptations of an organism.

Darwin and Wallace used DNA evidence to support their ideas about evolution and how species are related.

FALSE Evidence/information: DNA technology came MUCH later.

The observation that fossils of extinct organisms are found where similar organisms live today can be explained by the fact that species don't change over time.

FALSE Evidence/information: Galaptagon and armadillo, prove otherwise, that species do change over time because their are fossils that are similar to what is there now (showing change).

Darwin was eager to share his ideas about evolution with the rest of the world, so he wrote and published his book, On the Origin of Species, in just two years after returning from his voyage on the HMS Beagle.

FALSE Evidence/information: Had been sitting on them for 20 years until Wallace had same findings.

What role does the rock pocket mouse play in the desert food web?

Important food source for snakes and birds in same areas. Everyone eats them, low on food chain but lots of them.

How do we use biogeography to explain natural selection?

In same biomes there is similar biodiversity, so we see that natural selection favors the same genetic mutations in the same areas (similar precipitation and temperature).

Does fur color provide any selective advantage or disadvantage?

Lighter on lighter is advantage, lighter on darker is disadvantage. Darker on volcanic rock is advantage. Darker on lighter is disadvantage.

4. Use the data and what you have learned about evolution to explain how mutation is a random process, but natural selection is not random.

Mutation is a random process because it happens in random genes (2 black mice had mutation in different genes at random causing same change very far apart), we also know it is random because every organism is born with new set of mutations. There is no evidence linking to why and when mutations occur, just that they happen at random. Although we know natural selection is not random because it is proven that it favors certain phenotypes or mutations. This can be seen in location A with the white landscape it was all white mice except for one or two brown, because natural selection favored the white mice (which had better camouflage--white had better fitness) so they produced more offspring. While natural selection did not favor the black mice (more obvious to predators--black had bad fitness) so they had less chance of survival and less offspring and had smaller population levels in overall mice population. This can also be seen that natural selection is not random in location B when the rock was light there was only 2 brown mice, but when a volcano happened and the ground became dark there was an increase of brown mice to 3 because natural selection started to favor them more as brown because the better camouflage from hiding from predators (brown fitness increased). The brown continued to increase in number as time passed to 6 and then all the way to 10, with the white mice decreasing as they now stand out more and are not favored by natural selection (white fitness gets worse). This is how I know natural selection is not random, for it it was the mice population would not be dependent upon the color rock and would be random each year (example: 10 brown on white rock after it has been white rock the whole time).

Explain the difference between natural and artificial selection.

Natural selection: is an interaction between organisms and the environment. the process by which traits or alleles become more or less frequent in a population, depending on the advantage or disadvantage they confer on the survival and reproduction of the organism. While artificial selection: is selective breeding of plants and animals by humans, not based off environment.

Why is mutation a random process but natural election is not?

Nature selects who dies, because nature/natural selection favors certain phenotypes and mutations. Organisms are adapted to their habitat because they have best traits to survive. Mutation: different letter in DNA, happen in copying (random mistake in copying).

Is one type of biome, such as grasslands, only found in one global location or continent?

No-because there are different parts in the world. (see deserts, tundra, rainforest, mountain ranges in multiple/different parts of the world

Abiotic

Non-living things

What does natural selection act on? Phenotypes or genotypes?

Phenotypes

Why do you believe that these three birds pictured above could live in distant lands but look so very similar?

Similar biomes (abiotic and biotic elements) that they are living in, similar selective pressures from environment

If two locations across the globe have similar abiotic factors and are the same biome type, what impact might this have on the biotic factors that exist in that environment? Give me an example if possible, think back to our ecology unit.

Similar biotic factors that exist in the environment. (because similar abiotic→ expect to see similar organisms living there) Examples: Deserts around world-Snakes Rainforest (south america and indonesia)-still see tropical birds and butterflies in both.

Most people living around Darwin and Wallace's time, including most scientists, believed in special creation— meaning that God created each species on Earth in its present form.

TRUE Evidence/information: Because religion held a very strong place is society including science. Religion was looked at for answers more than study and reason.

Before he set sail on the HMS Beagle, Darwin was training to be a minister. He was asked to join the voyage to be of company to the Beagle's captain.

TRUE Evidence/information: He was studying to become a clergy member, couldn't be a doctor like his dad.

Darwin and Wallace made observations of the natural world including that individuals within a species have variations that affect how well they compete for limited resources.

TRUE Evidence/information: Look at how many species die, and how if species did not die there would be a take over (insects). Animals with helpful variations help them to survive, and survive to reproduce. While others with negative variations die off.

The observation that the more similar two species are, the closer they tend to live geographically is evidence that species descend from other species.

TRUE Evidence/information: Orange butterflies in Galapagos, and green in Malaysia, live near each other but. Closer to each other on land. galapagos are closer to each other so orange butterflies are more closely related that the green butterflies of malaysia.

The finger bones inside manatee and whale flippers are evidence that these living species are modified forms of older species.

TRUE Evidence/information: Wouldn't make sense for God to bother with finger bones in manatee and whale, ancestors must have been land animals.

What two abiotic factors contribute most to the type of biome that is found in a given location?

Temperature and precipitation.

What can explain the differences among the illustrations?

The color rock/location, the order (some were much easier and others later after mutations). Overall mutations and natural selection (predators rooting them out) explain the differences.

What is ADAPTIVE RADIATION?

The evolutionary division of a group of organisms into diverse groups over a short period of geologic time

3. Write a scientific summary that describes changes in the rock pocket mouse populations at location B. Your summary should include a description of how the population has changed over time, an explanation of what caused the changes, and a prediction that describes what the population will look like 100 years in the future. Base your prediction on trends in the data you have organized. You can assume that environmental conditions do not change over the 100 years.

The population of rock pocket mouse changed greatly over the 4 images at location B. In the first image there were 10 light colored mice, then 9, then 6, and in the final image only 2. While in the fist image there were only 2 brown mice, then 3, then 6, and then as many as 10. The dramatic change was caused by the change in rock color. In the first image it was the light sandy color, but for the next 3 images was a dark volcanic rock after a volcano happened. This made the color of mice changed because it changed the phenotype which was favored from white to brown. And because this brown mice had better fitness as they could camouflage better there was a steady increase in the amount of them, and because the white mice after the change in landscape had worse fitness (not as much camoflauge) there population steadily decreased. I think the population of Location B will be all brown mice (unless there happens to be a mutation going into the 100th year). I think this because of the steady increase in brown mice as they have better fitness on the dark rock, and that the white mice which have poor fitness on the dark rock have been steadily been going down and will keep going down as only brown mice are able to survive and reproduce.

2. Explain the presence of dark-colored mice at location A. Why didn't this phenotype become more common in the population?

The presence of dark colored mice in location A was very small in all 4 times. In the beginning there were only 2 brown mice, then in the next time period there was only 1 brown mice, next time period had 2 brown mice, and the last time period had only 1 brown mice. This phenotype didn't become more common in the population because the landscape was always the light sandy color, so the brown mice stood out more. This made them more likely to be seen by predators and eaten. So they had less chance of survival and less offspring being produced because they were disadvantaged and less camouflaged and so never had population grow more than 2 (didn't have good fitness). While the white mice thrived in landscape they were easily camouflaged in and could easily survive and reproduce (had good fitness). This is why the dark color phenotype did not become more common in the population.

Fitness

is defined by an organism's ability to survive and produce offspring.

Biotic

living things