BIOL 103 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Evolution, Semelparity And Iteroparity, Assortative Mating
Document Summary
Characteristics common to all forms of life: cells & organization, energy use & metabolism, response to environmental changes, regulation & homeostasis, growth & development, reproduction, biological evolution. All organisms read/interpret dna with the same mechanisms. Life began with a single-celled organism billions of years ago, it evolved to become all the different species we know today. Evolution comes from genetic changes passed on to offspring & exchanging genes with other species (horizontal gene transfer) Evolution: accumulation of inherited changes in populations over time, leads to related species. Natural selection is the dominant mechanism for evolution, but not the only. It means that certain animals are less likely to survive and reproduce in a particular environment. Nature selects certain individuals, with certain traits and they get to survive & reproduce. Fitness: an individual"s ability to survive & reproduce, relative to others in their population.