BIOL 1070 Study Guide - Phenotype, Convergent Evolution, Mutation
12 Dec 2012
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Document Summary
Diversity - refers to the number of different species in a taxonomic group or a geographical area. Byssal threads: silky threads that are used by mussels to latch onto rocks, or submerged pillars etc. Can be due to either genetics, or adaptations to the surrounding environment ( phenotypic plasticity ) Ex: differences in mussels of the same species inhabiting fast vs. slow running water. Sometimes there can be very little morphological variation, but a significant amount of genetic variation. Ex: mammals are not very diverse but they are very disparate consider shrews vs. bats vs. giraffes vs. blue whales. Bivalve mollusks, though much more diverse than mammals, are not as disparate on the whole, they all maintain a relatively similar morphology. Convergent evolution (aka homoplasy) - describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages. Ex: the wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action.
