Ecological Genetics - Genetic Variability, Natural Selection, Evolution

Front 1

Define ecology.

Back 1

Ecology is the study of organisms and their relationships, distributions, and abundance in the environment.

Front 2

Rank the following from smallest to largest: Ecosystems, Populations, Organisms, Communities, Earth (Biosphere)

Back 2

Organisms-->Populations-->Communities--Ecosystems-->Earth (Biosphere)

Front 3

Define population. Give an example.

Back 3

A population is a group of individuals in the same species (conspecific) that live in the same place at the same time.

e.g. a herd of deer living in a forest.

Front 4

Define community. Give an example.

Back 4

A group of varying species and plants living in the same place at the same time is called a community.

e.g. clownfish and sea anemones and varying types of kelp all living on a coral reef bed.

Front 5

Define ecosystem. Give an example.

Back 5

An ecosystem is the totality of all communities in the same place at the same time.

e.g. the Garry Oak Forest.

Front 6

Define biosphere.

Back 6

The biosphere is the Earth - it is the totality of all ecosystems.

Front 7

Define ecological genetics.

Back 7

Ecological genetics is the study of a populations's genetic and phenotypic variations, and how it relates to ecological processes.

Front 8

Are the majority of plants and animal species genetically different or similar from one another? Explain.

Back 8

Most plant and animal species are genetically different from one another, as most reproduce sexually and share genetic information between two organisms as opposed to asexually where they hand down the exact same sequencing.

Front 9

Give examples of morphological variation between individuals.

Back 9

Examples of morphological differences include shape, size, colour, patterns, etc.

Front 10

Give examples of behavioural variation between individuals.

Back 10

Examples of behavioural differences include flowering time, nesting, foraging method, and defence.

Front 11

Define monomorphism within a population. Does this make them homo- or hetero- zygotes?

Back 11

A population is monomorphic for a locus when both alleles are the same in all individuals (e.g. both the male and female have 'a' alleles) This causes the population to be homozygotic

Front 12

Define polymorphism within a population. Does this make them homo- or hetero- zygotes?

Back 12

A population is polymorphic for a locus when there are two or more allele types (e.g. the male has an 'a' allele and the female has a 'b' allele) This causes the population to be heterozygotic.

Front 13

What leads to a different allele?

Back 13

Genetic variability originates with mutation and leads to a different allele.

Front 14

Are individuals in large populations more likely to be hetero- or homo- zygotes?

Back 14

Large populations are more likely to have heterozygous individuals, as there are more potential alleles in the gene poo.

Front 15

Why are small populations (i.e. <50) more likely to die out than large populations?

Back 15

Small populations are more likely to die out because individuals are mainly homozygotic. Having only one allele as opposed to two reduces the morphological and behavioural variability and therefore makes homozygotes unable to cope with pathogens, parasites, and disease from a lack of immunocompetence.

Front 16

Does inbreeding lead to more homozygous or heterozygous individuals? What about juvenile mortality?

Back 16

Inbreeding (e.g. in zoos, isolated populations...) will cause an increase in homozygous individuals and lead to a higher juvenile mortality rate.

Front 17

What is Minimum Viable Population (MVP) and what population size would maintain it?

Back 17

Minimum Viable Populations (MVPs) retain 90% of their genetic variation after 200 years. Population sizes that will maintain the MVP is not a set number - it is dependant on the habitat size.

Front 18

What is the Minimum Viable Area (MVA)?

Back 18

The Minimum Viable Area (MVA) is the smallest amount of land needed for a population to maintain genetic variability after 200 years.

Front 19

What is the minimum population size for persistence of isolated populated in relation to parks of different sizes?

Back 19

The minimum population size for persistence of isolated populations is ~2500.

Front 20

Say 5 individuals in a Drosophila population immigrate to a new species. What will occur?

Back 20

As individuals immigrate from one population to the next, they bring with them genetic variability. Even a small amount of immigration per generation allows genetic variability to remain.

Front 21

Define Natural Selection.

Back 21

Natural Selection is the non-random and differential reproduction of genotypes resulting in preservation of favourable variants. In other words, individuals with the genes to better adapt to their environment will survive and reproduce over those who do not carry the genes.

Front 22

Define Adaptation.

Back 22

An adaptation is any physiological, morphological, or behavioural modification that enhances survival and reproductive success of an organism.

Front 23

Give an example of an adaptation .

Back 23

Ex: A sculpin has an orange patch near its head to blend into the background with other orange tunicates in tidal zones.

Front 24

What is evolution and what two processes is it mainly a result of?

Back 24

Evolution is the "serial change over time" OR "the descent with modification". It is the result of both natural selection and adaptation.

Front 25

Define Anagenesis. Does it lead to species diversity yes or no?

Back 25

Anagenesis is the gradual change over time, or changing adaptations over time. It does NOT lead to species diversity.

Front 26

Define Cladogenesis. Provide an example.

Back 26

Cladogenesis is the branching of lineages and the creation of a new species.

Ex: Tigers, panthers, leopards, are all a part of the same family but are all very different species.

Front 27

When did life first develop on Earth?

Back 27

Life began developing on Earth ~3 billion years ago.

Front 28

When did the jellyfish first appear?

Back 28

Jellyfish first appeared in the Precambrian era.

Front 29

When did fish first appear? Provide both the era and period.

Back 29

Fish first began appearing in the Ordovician Period during the Palaeozoic Era.

Front 30

When did Reptiles, insects, and plants begin to appear? Provide both the era and period.

Back 30

Reptiles, insects, and plants began to appear during the Devonian Period in the Palaeozoic Era.

Front 31

When did Dinosaurs first appear? Provide the era.

Back 31

Dinosaurs first appeared in the Mesozoic Era.

Front 32

What are the six periods of the Palaeozoic Era?

Back 32

The six periods of the Palaeozoic Era are: Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Permian.

Front 33

What are the three periods of the Mesozoic Era?

Back 33

The three periods of the Mesozoic Era are: Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous.

Front 34

What is the current estimate of the total amount of species on Earth?

Back 34

It is estimated that there are anywhere from 8 - 100 million different species on Earth today.