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56 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Explain what distinguishes anthropology from othersciences that study humans. |
Anthropology is unique in dealing simultaneously with questions of origins, evolution, variation, and adaptation. |
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List the “three basic questions” of biologicalanthropology. Explain how biological anthropologists go about answering thesequestions. Provide specific examples. |
-How are we related to other living creatures? Ex. What is our place in nature? -Concerning our past. Ex. What are our origins? -Concerning our diversity. Ex. How are humans around the world like, or unlike, each other? |
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What are the four sub-fields of anthropology? |
-Cultural anthropology -Archaeology -Linguistic anthropology -Biological anthropology |
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What is culture? |
Behavior that is shared, learned, and socially transmitted. |
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What are the differences among fact, hypotheses, andtheories? |
Fact- verifiable truth Hypothesis- an explanation of observed facts Theory- a set of hypotheses that have been tested repeatedly and that have not been rejected. |
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What does it take for a hypothesis to be scientific? |
To be scientific, a hypothesis must be testable. |
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What was the typical view of biological variationprior to the widespread discovery of fossil organisms? |
All living creatures were created by God in their present form. |
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What was Cuvier’s catastrophism hypothesis? |
The hypothesis posited a series of catastrophes in the planet's past during which many living creatures were destroyed. Following these catastrophes, organisms from unaffected areas moved in. (catastrophes followed by repopulation from other regions) |
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What was Lamarck’s acquired characteristics hypothesis? |
Believed the environment would affect the future shape and organization of animals. Ex. Giraffes could not reach the higher leaves, so they grew longer necks. Then passed the "longer neck gene" down to their offspring. |
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What is uniformitarianism, and what contribution did it make to changing the thinking about the possibility of evolution? |
Definition: The observation that the geologic processes that operate in the world today also operated in the past. Suggests that small biological processes could add up over time to produce considerable evolutionary change. |
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What is Darwin’s theory of natural selection? |
A mechanism for evolutionary change favoring the survival and reproduction of some organisms over others because of their biological characteristics. |
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How did Malthus’ work on population growth influenceDarwin’s model of natural selection? |
Noted that more individuals are born in most species than can possibly survive. |
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How does the peppered moth example illustrate naturalselection? |
(long explanation- you got this one) |
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What is the scientific objection to "creationscience?" |
None of their statements are supported by scientific evidence, and they generally use very little actual evidence to support their views. |
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What is the legal objection to "creationscience" or “intelligent design” in the context of public education? |
"Creation science" isn't an actual science. It is a, "grab bag of ideas spruced up with scientific jargon." |
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What is DNA (in the most general sense)? |
The molecule that provides information for building, operating, and repairing organisms. |
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What are "bases?" How many are there? How many are required to code for an amino acid? |
A (adenine), T (thymine), G (guanine), and C (cytosine). Each amino acid is coded for by three of the four chemical bases. |
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What is the difference between DNA and RNA? |
DNA- instructions for determining the makeup of biological organisms. RNA- protein synthesis. |
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How many chromosomes do humans have? How manychromosome pairs? |
Humans have 23 pairs. |
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What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis? |
Mitosis- Formation of body cells. Meiosis- Formation of sex cells. |
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What is epigenetics and why is it significant? |
The field of epigenetics is concerned with the general process of gene expression and looks at how some genes are turned on or off in different contexts. |
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What is a locus? |
The specific location of a gene or DNA sequence on a chromosome. |
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What is an allele? |
The alternative form of a gene or DNA sequence that occurs at a given locus. |
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What is a genotype? |
The genetic endowment of an individual from the two alleles present at a given locus. |
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What is a phenotype? |
The observable appearance of a given genotype in the organism. |
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What is a homozygous trait? |
When alleles at a given locus are identical. |
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What is a heterozygous trait? |
When the two alleles at a given locus are different. |
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What are Mendel’s Laws of Segregation and Independent Assortment? |
LOS: States that sex cells contain one of each pair of alleles. LOIA: States that the segregation of any pair of chromosomes does not affect the probability of segregation for other pairs of chromosomes. |
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What is linkage? |
When alleles on the same chromosome are inherited together. |
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What is a polygenic trait? |
A complex genetic trait affected by two or more loci. |
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What is heritability? |
The proportion of total variation of a trait due to genetic variation. |
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What is a mutation? What is the evolutionary significance of mutation? |
A change in genetic code. The ultimate source for all genetic variation. |
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What is a biological species? |
A definition of species that focuses on reproductive capabilities, whereby organisms from different populations are considered to be in the same species if they naturally interbreed and produce fertile offspring. |
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What is the difference between anagenesis andcladogenesis? |
A- linear evolution C- branching evolution |
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How does speciation work? What are the two generalsteps needed for a new species to evolve? |
The elimination or reduction of gene flow between populations. Isolation and natural selection are the steps. |
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What is adaptive radiation? |
The new formation of many new species following the availability of new environments or the development of a new adaptation. |
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What is gradualism? |
A model of macroevolutionary change whereby changes occur at a slow steady rate over time. |
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What is punctuated equilibrium? |
A model of macroevolutionary change in which long periods of little evolutionary change are followed by relatively short periods of rapid evolutionary change. |
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What is extinction? Mass extinction? How common haveextinctions been in evolutionary history? |
Many species becoming extinct at about the same time. Five mass extinctions. |
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One common misconception is that "bigger isbetter." What does this mean? Why is it incorrect in many cases? |
"The bigger the brain and the bigger the body, the better." Just because they are larger doesn't mean they have evolutionary advantage. |
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One common misconception is that "newer isbetter." What does this mean? Why is it incorrect? |
"More recent traits are superior because they are newer." The age of structure has no bearing on its usefulness. |
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What is orthogenesis? |
A discredited idea that evolution will continue in a given direction because of some vaguely defined "force." |
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What is the difference between homology and homoplasy? |
Ology- similarity due to descent from a common ancestor Plasy- similarity due to independent evolution |
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What is convergent evolution? parallel evolution? |
Con- independent evolution of similar traits in rather distinct evolutionary lines. Par- independent evolution of traits in closely related species. |
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What is the difference between primitive and derived traits? |
Prim- a trait that has not changed from an ancestral state. Der- a trait that has changed from an ancestral state. |
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What is the difference between evolutionary systematics and cladistics? |
Evo- a school of thought that stresses the overall similarity of all homologous traits in classification. Clad- a school of thought that stresses evolutionary relationships between organisms based on shared, derived traits. |
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What is the effect of mutation on allele frequencies? How much evolution can mutation alone explain? |
Mutation introduces new alleles into a population. Mutation rates are low and do not lead, by themselves, to major changes in allele frequency. |
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What is a polymorphism? fitness? |
-A locus with two or more alleles having frequencies too large to be a result of mutation alone. -An organism's probability of survival. |
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What happens to the frequency of a recessive allele if it is selected against? Why isn’t a recessive allele that is completely lethal eliminated in a single generation? Example? |
It will decrease in frequency over time. Others can carry this lethal allele but not show signs of it. Example: Tay Sachs |
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What happens when there is selection for a heterozygote? Example? |
A balance is reached between selection for and against the A and a alleles. |
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What is stabilizing selection? Example? |
Selection against extreme values, large or small, in a continuous trait. |
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What is directional selection? Example? |
Selection against one extreme in a continuous trait and/or selection for the other extreme. |
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What is genetic drift? founder effect? Examples? |
-The random change in allele frequency from one generation to the next. -A type of genetic drift caused by the formation of a new population by a small number of individuals. |
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What is the relationship between genetic drift and population size? |
Genetic drift, the random change in allele frequencies from one generation to the next, has the greatest effect in small populations. |
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What is gene flow? |
A mechanism for evolutionary change resulting from the movement of genes from one population to another. |
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What is the effect of each of the four mechanisms of evolution on genetic differences within and between populations? |
Mutation- additional factors needed. Natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow- responsible for increasing/decreasing the frequency of a mutant allele. |
