BI102

General Biology

Spring 2010

Dr. Brian K. Penney

Goulet 2320

603 641-7149

bpenney@anselm.edu

Brian K. Penney 's web page

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1. Briefly summarize the history of evolutionary thought, including Darwin's role and influences

   The idea of "descent with modification" actually extends over 4,000 years!

   • The central question is why organisms are generally well-adapted to the environment
   • Greeks debated the idea of evolution by natural selection, but Aristotle's view of fixed species persisted due to historical contingency
   • Studies of fossils during the Enlightenment led to the idea of evolution, but the mechanism was unclear
   • Darwin merely added the mechanism of natural selection (based on readings of Malthus, Lyell) and broad comparative evidence from his journeys abroad and experiments at home

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2. List and explain the multiple lines of evidence supporting the idea of evolution

   both the Fossil record and living organisms are studied in relation to:

   1) Comparative anatomy: and the understanding of homologous versus analogous structures; structures performing different functions but with similar parts likely came from shared ancestor

   2) Comparative embryology; as for comparative anatomy, but studying structures during development

   3) Biogeography shows how related organisms are distributed

   4) Molecular biology studies the overall similarity of DNA and produces estimates of relationship similar to other lines of evidence

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3. Explain the concept of natural selection as the mechanism for evolution, and provide two current examples

   a. natural selection definition: reproductive success is unequal, and those individuals best meeting demands of the environment have the greatest reproductive success

   b analogous to artificial selection, which can actually produce greater change in form

   c. examples: 1) pesticide resistance in insects, 2) antibiotic resistance in bacteria, 3) cancer cells

Copyright 2007-2010, Brian K. Penney

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