BSC 2011 Lecture 23: BSC2010 Evolution (all)
Document Summary
Evolution (differential reproductive success): evolve- the process of unrolling, tion- state or condition of being. Theory of natural selection comes from: charles darwin (1831) and alfred wallace (1854) Why study evolution: evolution explains the variety of relationships of all living things, most fundamental and unifying scientific concept to explain the natural world. Biodiversity: important to public health, environmental science, food production, and understanding human society and human interactions. What is organic evolution: the descent of modern organisms with modification from preexisting life forms. Theory of evolution: ancient greeks (2500 years bp) Aristotle: species are fixed : judeo-christian (2000 years bp) Evidence that contradicted what greeks and judeo-christian thought: biogeography. Different species with similar forms in different regions. Specific traits of organisms living in certain environments: morphology. Study of similarities and differences in body plans of major groups. Animals as different as humans and dogs have similar bones in forelimbs. Deeper layers contain simpler fossils than shallow layers.