Study Guide for Exam I - Spring 2012



BIL 107 - STUDY GUIDE FOR EXAM I - Fall 2020This guide is a checklist of items you should know for Exam I. They are taken from both the lecture notes and the videos. Textbook readings add more details.For an excellent overview of misconceptions about natural selection and adaptation, go here: all embedded videos to be required viewing. You might see questions about them on the exam.Introduction to EvolutionKnow the four major lines of evidence that evolution has occurred and is now occurring.Be able to recognize examples of these lines of evidence.Know the meaning/significance of:fossilshomologous charactersbiogeographypaleontologytransitional fossilsanalogous charactersorganic evolutionBe familiar with some of the recent examples of evolution we discussed in class.Understand the difference between belief in something and understanding it as empirical/observable fact.Understand inductive vs. deductive reasoning (Be able to recognize examples of each)Know the precise definitions of scientific hypothesis, theory, and law and what is implied by each.The information in this link is required: Know the meaning/significance of the following from the link above:falsifiable hypothesisproving vs. disproving a hypothesisconfirmation biasscience vs. pseudosciencestrong inference (multiple hypotheses for a single problem)Be able to address and correct the following misconceptions about evolution:Evolution is only a theory.Evolution is progress: evolving organisms get better.Evolution has never been observed.There are no transitional fossils.Evolution violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics.Use this site to address these additional misconceptions: is a theory about the origin of life.Evolution is a completely random process.Individual organisms evolve over the course of their lifespan.The Darwinian RevolutionUnderstand what is meant by “patterns” in the natural world, and what their significance is to the process and understanding of evolution.Know precisely what is meant by the terms observation, empirical data, and factsBe familiar with the contributions (to evolutionary thought) ofPlato and AristotleGeorge Cuvier(Thomas) Robert MalthusMotoo KimuraGeorge Louis LeclercJames HuttonCharles DarwinWilliam PaleyJean Baptiste LamarckCharles LyellAlfred Russel WallaceYou can find brief bios here: HYPERLINK "" is scala naturae, and who proposed it?What is the theory of evolution?What is the theory of evolution by means of inheritance of acquired characteristics, and who proposed it?What is the theory of evolution by means of natural selection, and who proposed it ?What is the theory of evolution by means of neutral mutations, and who proposed it?Why is epigenetic inheritance sometimes said to be “NeoLamarckian”?Understand what is meant by the term “species”. Understand what is meant by reproductive isolating mechanism. ( )pre-zygoticecologicalbehavioralgametichybrid sterilitypost-zygotictemporalmechanicalhybrid inviabilityhybrid breakdownKnow the definitions and significance (and be able to recognize examples) oforganic evolutiongenegene poolnatural selectionbiological speciesalleleevolutionary vs. physiological adaptationmicroevolutionpopulationdemespeciationmacroevolutionartificial selectionspeciationdescent with modificationmacroevolution uniformitarianismcatastrophismconvergent evolutionUnderstand how Darwin’s observations (on the voyage of the HMS Beagle and back home in England) led him to the inferences that became the four tenets of evolution by means of natural selection.(Why the kerfuffle over “survival of the fittest”? Isn’t that what Darwin said?)Understand what is meant by adaptive, maladaptive, and neutral traits. What defines them?What is the Darwinian definition of evolutionary fitness?Understand what is meant by William Hamilton’s idea of “selfish genes”.Do genes always encode traits that are best of their host’s long-term survival?What is a “survival machine”, as described in the short video interview with Richard Dawkins?Life, the Universe, and GenesKnow the seven criteria that must be met for something to be considered “alive”.Understand the definition/meaning/significance of these terms, and be able to recognize and apply examples:atommoleculeelementpolymerprotonmacromoleculecompoundstructural vs. functional proteinelectronproteinorganic moleculeDNAneutronenzymeinorganic moleculeRNAUnderstand the hierarchy of the organization of life, from atoms to organisms.What is the Central Dogma? Understand the basic way that genes work (as per the Central Dogma).Know the meaning/significance ofmutationparent cell vs. daughter cellspoint mutationtotipotent cellpolymorphismmutagen (and carcinogen)duplication mutationpluripotent cellmutagenesisspontaneous vs. induced mutationsdeletion mutationmultipotent cellmitosisgermline vs. somatic cellsUnderstand why a mutation in a germline cell can be passed to offspring, unlike a mutation in a somatic cell.The Origin of LifeWhat is biodiversity? What is extinction?Understand the concept of spontaneous generation, and be able to recognize examples. Did this process ever actually happen? On any scale?Recognize the contributions to our understanding of life’s origins made by: Francesco Redi,, John NeedhamAleksandr OparinAnton van LeewenhoekLazaro SpallanzaniStanley Miller and Harold UreyGeorges BuffonLouis Pasteur John Sutherland, et al.Know the meaning/significance of: polymercolloidribozymesolutionprotocell/protobiontsuspension coacervateabiogenesisUnderstand the basic components of the Miller-Urey apparatus.Be able to recognize molecules that have been isolated from Miller-Urey experiments and similar work done by other investigators.Know what is meant by the “RNA World Hypothesis”. What makes RNA a good candidate for being the original genetic code?Evidence of Evolution in the EarthUnderstand the significance (and limitations) of the fossil record in helping us understand the origin of life.What body characteristics are conducive to fossilization?Know the meaning/significance of these fossil-related terms:altered vs. unalteredperminerlizationstratigraphygastrolithmummificationmoldsedimentary rockcoprolithfreezingcastigneous rockambertrace fossilshalf lifeUnderstand the four basic geological principles relevant to studies of paleontology.Principle of SuperpositionPrinciple of Fossil SuccessionPrinciple of Cross-cutting RelationshipsPrinciple of DeformationWhat is the difference between relative and radiometric dating techniques? Which one can assign an absolute age to a fossil?Understand the process of carbon dating and why it works.Study the information about how fossils can show evolutionary change in species over time (e.g., the synapsid lineage).Understand how biogeography can reveal information about the origins and evolution of life, and how it was allopatrically divided with continental drift. Understand what is meant by congruence between phylogenetic trees of land masses and organismal lineages.Know the meaning/significance of:subduction zonecontinental rift zoneGondwanaland (which continents came from this?)ocean floor spreadingPangaeaLaurasia (which continents came from this?)Evidence of Evolution in the Living ThingsBe familiar with the patterns of life in the natural world that provide empirical evidence of evolution, and why they support the theory that biodiversity arose because of the process of organic evolution:1. Life on earth is diverse (interspecific variation)2. All life on earth can be joined in a single phylogeny. (What is a phylogeny?)Biodiversity varies across time. Biodiversity varies across geographic space.3. There is genetic diversity within species. (intraspecific variation) 4. Organisms exhibit adaptative traits.5. Organisms also exhibit maladaptative traits.What are homologous characters? How do they contribute to evidence for evolution/natural selection?Know the meaning/significance and relevance to evolutionary theory of:ontogenetic homologiespaedomorphosisheterochronyneoteny vs. paedogenesis ( don’t memorize; just know that these are processes isometric vs. allometric growththat can contribute to the phenomenon/phenotype of paedomorphosis.)vestigial charactersatavistic charactersgene sequence homologiessyntenygenetic code homologyUnderstand the strengths and weaknesses of the fossil record as evidence of evolution.Be familiar with the general concept of continental drift and what it tells us about organic evolution.What are: Pangaea, Gondwanaland, Laurasia? What is meant by “Old World” vs. “New World”?Understand how the presence of both adaptive and maladaptive traits provide evidence for evolution (vs. perfect creation by a supernatural power). Understand what is meant by “evolutionary compromise”.Great TransformationsBe sure to watch this film, which gives many examples of what we covered in lectures up to now. You could see questions from the film appear on the exam.TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE STUDYING: 1. Don't memorize the details or names of specific examples in the notes or textbook. Instead, try to understand the concept those examples are illustrating, and be able to recognize new examples of the same concepts. Memorization is fine for things like vocabulary and names. But the MOST important thing you can do is UNDERSTAND HOW THINGS WORK and apply this to new situations. 2. Read the textbook chapters for deeper understanding.3. If you don’t remember the definition or significance of something in the notes or this study guide…GOOGLE IT.Seriously! This is sometimes the BEST way to find multiple sources that will really help you understand these sometimes-tough concepts. Choose your sources wisely, making sure they are reliable. Learn to teach yourself by using the abundant resources available at the touch of a key. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download